The Suburbs
by gabrielle015
Summary: Eren Jaeger is a senior at Trost High school, a starter for the soccer team, a brother, a friend, a failure at math, and really confused about the new hot neighbor his mom hired to be his math tutor. Growing up, separations, decisions, parties, a so long to teenage years, The Suburbs. -Also posted on Ao3-
1. Chapter 1

"Eren Jaeger if you don't wake up right now I will personally kick down this door and wake you up myself!"

Eren groaned loudly, making sure it sounded as pitiful as possible, and smiled softly when he heard his mom laugh through the bedroom door.

"Seriously, Eren." Carla said a little more calm. "It's the first day of senior year. You can't be late."

Eren wanted to argue that yes indeed, he could be late. Just because it was senior year, that didn't mean anything. If anything, he was more ready to put a middle finger up to Trost High and get his diploma, making sure to moon Principal Pixis on his way across the stage.

"Alright." He eventually responded, sure that his mom had left the other side of his door by now. He could hear the television blaring from the living room, already recognizing the voice of Maria's local anchormen robotically resonating through the thin-walled house.

The warmth of his bed was calling to him, like, siren of the ocean calling. The sweet song of _sleep_ , _sleep_ , _sleep_ , _go back to fucking sleep_ …

His door burst open suddenly, almost hitting the wall. Eren gasped, just knowing that his mom came back to keep true to her word, and he started yelling.

"I'm up, I'm up. See, I'm up!" He shouted, voice still craggy. "Don't hurt me."

His eyes were still squinted, trying to shield themselves from the sudden burst of energy he forced on himself. Only when he adjusted his eyes did he realize it was Mikasa, unsuccessfully trying not to laugh, standing in his doorway, already dressed for school.

"Jean said he'll be here by seven thirty. It's already seven." She said, tucking her long hair behind her ears.

"Shit." Eren mumbled. "Alright. Save me some breakfast."

Mikasa left the room, not as loudly as she had come in, and Eren, upon instinct, picked up his cell phone from his bedside table and walked to his desk, connecting the AUX cord from the phone to the speaker, immediately heading for the 'school' playlist.

Yeah, he had made it last year, making sure it was a list of melancholy indie that would suit his mood perfectly for school. Whoever came up with the term 'senioritis' needed a medal and a free trip to _Moe's_. Because they were so right. Eren's enthusiasm for school had decreased so much that it would make a perfect example for a pareto chart if rated on a scale from ten to zero. Ten being excited and zero not giving half a fuck.

Eren was at about a five right now. Senior year had its pros and cons of course, as everything did. Pros: graduation, eating outside, no more mandatory school. Cons: more responsibilities, national testing, and college applications.

Eren sighed heavily at just the mention of college in his own mind. He didn't really want to think about that at the moment, or anytime soon, but unfortunately, graduation would be here in a blink of an eye, and he really needed to start taking it seriously.

Or that's what his mom kept telling him. Carla was a woman with a bright smile and magnetic personality. All of his friends called her mom, as she was supportive to them all. As gentle as she was in motherhood, she could be just as fierce. As soon as junior year started, she began harping on Eren and Mikasa about national testing and thinking about college. Actually, she didn't really harp on Mikasa as much, but Eren, _oh_ , she got in his ass.

Eren left his room after he set his clothes out on his bed, and walked across the hallway to the bathroom he and Mikasa shared.

Going through the motions of a regular morning, Eren thought about what this school year would be like. Never mind college and things, he was more concerned about soccer this year.

Just the thought made him crack a smile at himself in the mirror as he brushed his teeth. He'd really been missing it; the freshly cut, green grass, the familiar feel of kicking the ball, running, and synchronizing with all the other guys on the team.

Last year's season had been great. They had gotten all the way up to regionals, and what was supposed to be the most important game in Eren's life had ended terribly for him, thus ending their season.

He got hurt. A nice little spasm in his left calf. He couldn't play for the rest of the game, nor could he stand. He refused to go to the hospital until the game was over though. He wanted to see his friends play, wanted to continue to cheer them on.

Eren wasn't a bragger, but his presence was pretty important in a game. He was considered the best player on the team, and sometimes he thinks it's just because he can play aggressively, but he does pretty well, considering soccer is life and if he could run away and play soccer forever on his bare feet he would.

Okay, maybe not.

He would at least wear shoes.

He wanted so desperately to do well at regionals. There were scouts there, watching both teams to see which players held enough value to be worth talking to. There were cameras, the stands were full, and everyone was there to see the age-old rivalry: Trost against Sina High.

Eren stopped thinking about it, not wanting to bring back any negative feelings. He was already in a mood because he had to wake up for school, and he didn't want to think about that horrible night.

He left the bathroom, hoping he was making good time. Because even though Jean was a good friend, he would fucking leave him at home and go to school without him. Plus, that would give him some alone time with Mikasa, and Eren was sure the fuckboy would appreciate it.

When he went back in his room, he started dressing quickly, hoping there was still food in the kitchen. It wasn't that mom didn't take care of them, but Eren was a teenage boy, and sometimes he wondered if his mom thought she was feeding mice instead of teens.

He sang along to Radiohead while putting on his black vans, which matched nicely with his dark jeans and white hoodie. Eren grabbed his bookbag, which he literally bought yesterday, and made sure there were enough supplies in there for the first day of school at least.

He unplugged his phone and turned off his speakers, quickly scanning his dirty room for anything he might need. Deciding that he was good, he left the bedroom quickly, seeing that it was 7:15 according to his phone.

Walking down the wooden-floored hallway, Eren ignored the blaring TV in the living room, and walked right into the kitchen, where Mikasa and mom were standing at the counter, eating and talking.

Carla started to sing 'Dancing Queen' as Eren walked into the kitchen, waving an arm elaborately in the air as she did so.

"Good morning, sleeping beauty." She said, gesturing to a plate covered with a paper towel on the counter adjacent to where they were. "Breakfast is over there."

Eren put his bookbag on the floor next to the island, and went to the counter. His stomach was already rumbling, and he could hear a choir start to sing in his head as he lifted the paper towel…

To reveal oatmeal with minced bits of strawberries sprinkled on top.

Eren turned around, a 'really' expression on his face. Mikasa laughed behind her glass of orange juice while Carla hardly bat an eye.

"Brown sugar is in the spice cabinet."

Eren made an indignant sound. "Come on, ma. It's the first day of school, and you send us off with oatmeal?"

"It's healthy." She responded, throwing her hands up to defend herself. "Athletes have to eat healthy, right?"

Eren was about to tell her she was right, but then he paused, raising a hand and pointing a finger at Mikasa's plate.

"Is that bacon!?"

Mikasa smiled softly. "I got up early enough to make my own breakfast."

Mom laughed at Eren's flustered expression, and started singing 'Dancing Queen' again as he pillaged the pantry for cereal.

There was a sad amount of Pops left in the box, and they were probably stale. Eren put the box back in the pantry and began to stress weep.

"Mom." He whined, going towards her. She was standing in front of the sink now, rinsing her plate off and washing a few other dishes when Eren hugged her from behind.

"Why do you do these things?" He asked dramatically. Carla laughed loudly, and Mikasa was nibbling on her piece of bacon in the background.

"There is nothing wrong with oatmeal. And you know, when you go into the real world, I'm not going to be there, and neither is Mikasa, to make you breakfast. If you want something, you're going to have to get it yourself."

Eren closed his eyes and forced himself from rolling them. Leave it to parents to turn things into a lecture.

"You're tearing me apart, Carla!"

"Oh my god." Mikasa muttered behind them.

Carla laughed. "Hey, someone's moving into the house across the street."

As if on cue, Mikasa walked forward, looking out the octagon shaped window above the sink to see what she was talking about. Eren looked too, raising both his eyebrows.

"Somebody bought it that quick, huh." He stated.

"Yea." Mikasa said. "Miss Dooney was only buried two weeks ago."

"She died in that house." Eren stated quickly, shaking his head. "I hope whoever is moving in there knows that."

Carla huffed. "I'm sure they do. It's like when you buy a car, you have to get facts before you buy. Like 'show me the house facts.'"

"Stop." Mikasa said.

"The yard's a mess." She continued. They watched a moving truck back into the driveway, and saw a lady getting out of the passenger side. She was young, thin, with light red hair that wasn't too common in their area. Pretty.

"Oh, it's a chick." Eren whistled. "Should I go introduce myself?"

"Eren, she looks like an adult." Carla mentioned.

"I'll be eighteen in March." He countered. Mikasa smacked the back of his head.

"Well," Carla sighed, "She's going to have a fun time finding someone to clean that yard. My god, look at the bushes. They're so…bushy."

"Did you get enough sleep last night, mom?" Mikasa asked. Eren burst into laughter, avoiding a quick swat from Carla.

"Go away!" She shouted. "Both of you. All you two do is make fun of me."

"You do it to yourself, mom." Eren said, going back to pick up his bookbag. He took one last lingering look at the depressing oatmeal on the plate, and decided he could stick it out until lunch.

He left the kitchen, heading into the living room. Tired of hearing the news casters, Eren turned to his favorite music channel, and began humming along with the song that was currently playing.

He sat on his couch and messed with his phone, scrolling down social media sites with little interest, enjoying the music; the leisurely time he had before he had to go back to hell.

Leave it to Jeannyboy to come in and interrupt that serene atmosphere.

"Yo!" He called out, walking through the front door of the house like he lived there.

"Get out." Eren said nonchalantly, still looking at his phone. Carla came out of the kitchen and greeted him with enthusiasm.

"Jean!" She squealed, rushing over to give him a motherly bear hug. Mikasa came out of the kitchen slowly, adjusting her backpack over one shoulder.

"How was the countryside?" Carla asked, still gripping Jean's arm.

"Oh, it was great." Jean responded. "We always love going out there. Mom always has a nice time with her side of the family."

"And the horses?" Carla asked.

"Fine and fast as always." He answered with a dazzling smile. There was a reason why mothers loved Jean Kirstein. He had a charm about him that pulled in single mothers, wanting him to date their daughters. He was a 'kind' rich kid with a mind that knew how to fool parents.

"Of course he had a good time." Eren interrupted, standing up and grabbing his bag. "He's always comfortable around his kind."

Mikasa laughed, which made Jean's smile falter a bit. Carla was smiling softly, trying to shoot Eren a disciplinary look.

"Eren, be nice."

"Yea Eren." Jean added, squinting at him and smiling. "Listen to your mother."

"What?" Eren asked, throwing his hands in the air. "I was talking about his family."

"No you were not." Carla said, finally letting go of Jean's arm. "You look so nice, Jean."

Jean's idiotic smile brightened again, and Eren scowled. Sometimes he just wanted to tell him to stop.

"…and it was on sale for one fifty. That's a pretty good deal for a polo cardigan." Jean finished.

Eren let his mouth drop in annoyance, and glanced at Mikasa, who was looking right back at him with the same expression on her face. She smiled and mouthed 'fuckboy.' Eren started laughing again, interrupting their conversation.

"Eren!" Carla yelled.

"It was Mikasa this time!" Eren argued, laughing.

Carla huffed. "Alright, you three. Go, I don't want you being late for school."

The trio called out there words of parting and headed out the dark green front door. Carla came up behind them, stopping at the threshold.

"Have a nice day!" She rang, closing the door behind her.

"Man, your mom is so nice." Jean said. Eren groaned, knowing this was about to take a foul turn, because it was Jean and the universe wasn't nice.

"Ya know, I don't see how she's not in a relationship." Jean continued, clicking the button on his car keys to unlock his pretty little silver corvette that his mom passed down to him. "She's so…pretty."

"Jean." Eren said in a warning tone.

He got in the backseat while Mikasa sat in the passenger. Jean's bookbag was in the back seat as well, in its brown leather glory.

"What?" Jean asked. "All I'm saying is your mother is very nice and beautiful."

He started the engine, the car rendering a nice purr. As much as Eren got annoyed with Jean's rich boy status sometimes, he had to admit, he liked riding in this car.

Jean backed out the driveway carefully, waiting until he was fully out and straightened to plug in his phone to the radio. Eren took the time to look to his side and observe the house across the street. There was car parked in the driveway next to the moving vehicle now. The trunk to the car was opened, as was the garage door, and Eren noticed there were two other people along with the lady in the garage. One of them was shorter than the other.

M83 blared in the car, which neither Eren or Mikasa minded, and Jean pulled off.

"Eren, your mom's fucking hot."

Mikasa muttered something under her breath, while Eren laughed and rolled his eyes.

"There's the Jean I know and remember."

Jean cackled. Yes, Eren described his loud laugh as a cackle. It was much too harsh and sharp to be considered 'laughing.'

"I'm just saying, I'll be eighteen in April. Maybe I could be your stepfather one day."

"Your mom should have swallowed you." Mikasa said dryly, smirking as she did so.

Jean looked at her and looked away quickly, a shocked expression on his face. He slowed down when he pulled to the front of their neighborhood.

"Well, that's the only thing you've said to me this morning, 'Kasa."

Eren frowned, shaking his head. Jean was already fucking up.

"Hello Jean." Mikasa said nonchalantly, looking out the window.

Jean tried to smile, but it wasn't really working. Eren could tell he was struggling with finding words to say to her, so he intervened.

"But seriously though, the vacation was good?" Eren asked. He didn't really care about the answer, he was just trying to save Jean.

"Yea." Jean answered, eyes trained on the road. "The horses have gotten a lot better. I'm already ready for winter break."

Eren nodded, even though Jean couldn't see him. Jean really did like riding horses. Every winter break, Jean would go back to the countryside for a week or so, and spend time with them. Something about the cold air was refreshing.

"Have you talked to Armin?" Jean asked quickly, not to anyone in particular, although he already knew Eren would be the one to answer.

"Last night." Eren answered quickly. "He was gonna pick us up, but he bad to be at school early this morning for an NHS meeting."

"Oh okay. He's gonna be really busy this year."

Eren didn't answer, he didn't even nod. He really didn't want to talk or think about Armin right now.

"Hey, did you guys hear about soccer this week?"

That immediately caught Eren's attention. "No! What about it?"

"Hanji wants to start tryouts this Wednesday." Mikasa answered for him.

"How did you get the memo and I didn't?" Eren asked loudly, already annoyed.

"It was sent as an e-mail." Jean said. "You know, those things that aren't exactly text messages, and show up on an inbox online. That thing you never check."

Eren scoffed. "Cellular contact is much more efficient."

"Anyway," Jean said, ignoring him, "she wants varsity boys and girls to be there so we can demonstrate what we do to the newcomers."

Newcomers meant a variety of things. It meant freshman that were thinking they had a good chance of getting on the team, or sophomores who were finally branching out, or juniors who didn't get it their sophomore year, or even some seniors who wanted to be a part of something their final year.

"So, do varsity players still have to try out?"

"I don't know." Jean answered, shrugging his shoulders.

He turned right onto a road that Eren had the displeasure of traveling down for four years. They were close to Trost High.

"Hanji will probably make us condition." Mikasa said, still looking out the window.

Eren and Jean hummed in agreement, and the rest of the short ride was spent in silence as they pulled up to a large and familiar school campus with green grass and red bricks.

"Home sweet home!" Jean shouted sarcastically. Both Mikasa and Eren cheered with feigned enthusiasm. It wasn't that there was anything wrong with Trost, but that senioritis was no joke.

"Oh!" Jean said quickly, pulling into a close parking spot. "I forgot. We have to compare schedules."

"Mikasa has literally no classes with me." Eren said angrily.

"You say that like it's my fault." She answered, pulling her schedule out of the front pocket of her dark purple bookbag.

"It is. You have all the smart classes!"

Jean reached in his pocket, and handed Eren his schedule over the seat. Eren took it hurriedly; interested to see what classes they might have together.

It was a given that they would have their career class together, as they had all the other years of high school.

"Okay." Eren said. "We have 1st and 3rd Engineering, and Statistics 7th."

"So, on odd days, I'll have you almost every class." Jean tried to sound disgusted. "As if I need that much Jaeger in my life."

"And practice after school." Eren smiled, throwing the paper back towards the driver's seat. "We'll be joined at the hip."

Jean laughed (cackled). "Hey Mikasa, can I see your schedule?"

Eren pursed his lips. He could get out of the car now and save himself from witnessing this awkward interaction. Or he could stay and get a good laugh out of it.

Mikasa handed him the paper and Jean took it slowly, as if it was holding the answer to a lifelong question. It was painful to watch.

"Hey, we have D.E. English together!" He said happily. "That's it though. And only on even days. 6th period."

Mikasa took back the paper, folding it and putting it in her book bag. "Cool." She said. "I'm gonna go meet Annie."

"Where is Lionhart?" Eren said, grabbing his bag too, opening the car door.

"The senior tables." She answered, smirking at his habit of purposely saying Annie's last name wrong.

"I'm going with you." Eren said, closing his car door and stretching. Jean got out too, and Mikasa was already walking away.

"Hey, we're going to the senior tables. The whole crew's probably gonna be there. You coming?"

Jean shrugged. "I think I'm going to go ahead and head to Engineering. Pick my locker early."

He was getting his bag out the backseat. Eren said goodbye as he walked off. He knew Mr. Mac didn't allow students to pick lockers, they had to be assigned, but he chose not to call him out on it.

Eren sighed heavily as he walked closer to the gated entrance to the bane of his existence. There were already teens milling around the front, in the grass, and by the small fountain. There were freshman, standing alone, looking over their schedules to keep appearances up.

Eren squinted. It might just be him, but the freshmen were getting smaller and smaller since Eren passed to sophomore year. The few he saw in the yard looked like they were still in sixth grade. And…hold the fuck up…was that a roller bookbag he just saw!?

"Eren!"

Eren looked behind of him, and smiled when he saw his friend walking quickly towards him.

"Come here." He smiled, holding his arms wide open. Krista practically jumped into his embrace, and hugged him tight.

"Eren!" She said again, but this time it was much louder since she was directly in his ear.

"Look at you." He said, smirking. "Trying to make everyone drool on just the first day."

Krista laughed. It was like a faerie laugh. Small and high pitched. "No, of course not."

Eren and Kirsta began to walk, Eren's arm around her small shoulders. "I feel like I haven't seen you in forever. How was France?"

"Beautiful!" Krista chirped. "I took so many pictures. You got my postcards right?"

Eren nodded enthusiastically. "They're on my white board at home."

"And Mikasa got hers?"

"Yea. They're on her wall."

"Good. I was hoping everyone got them."

They made more chit chat while walking towards the senior tables outside. They were the lunch tables _specifically_ designated for seniors, and underclassmen would get in trouble for eating out there if they were caught, as if the seniors would ever let them get close enough.

Krista and Eren heard Connie before they saw him. When they walked around the corner, they saw Connie beating on the metal table with a pencil and his fists, and Reiner unsuccessfully trying to freestyle while standing on top of the table.

Krista slipped from Eren's grip and ran up to the table. As soon as Connie heard her high pitched sounds and little feet tapping on the concrete, he stopped beating, and smiled wide.

"Lenz!" He yelled, arms wide opened. He looked a little dejected when Reiner jumped down from the table and hugged her first.

Reiner spun her around, and Krista laughed wildly. "I've missed you too!"

Annie and Mikasa were a few feet away, standing up to go greet Krista as well.

"Reiner, you have to let her go eventually." Connie said, still standing with his arms wide open for a hug.

"But I've missed this angel." Reiner said, laughing heartily. Eren walked up, smiling too. Eventually, Reiner let Krista go, but only so she could hug everyone else. When she was done making her rounds, he pulled her into a side hug.

"Okay." Reiner said quickly. "Where the hell is Jeannboy, freckled jesus, potatoe, coconut, bitch, and sweaty?"

Connie cleared his throat. "I don't know about Jean. Marco's picking up Mina, Sasha is already in the culinary lab, Armin had an NHS meeting this morning, Ymir's probably just fucking late, and shouldn't you know where your own boyfriend is?"

Annie smirked.

"He text me this morning saying he would meet us at the tables." Reiner answered. "I guess he's late."

"Jean's already in engineering." Eren added. The group nodded.

"Speaking of Bert, how are you and him coming along?" Krista cooed, making little heart symbols with her fingers.

"We're really good actually." Reiner said, smiling. "We got to hang out a lot over the summer."

"You know what that means." Connie said in a deep voice. Mikasa and Krista both smacked his arm, and he laughed.

"Yeah." Reiner agreed. "We got a lot of practice in."

Eren grimaced, and Annie mocked throwing up.

"By practice I hope you mean football." Eren said, checking his phone for the time. The bell would ring soon.

"Of course." Annie said mischievously. "They've been practicing sacking, right?"

Reiner laughed suggestively.

Krista squeaked. Connie muttered 'gross.' Eren laughed.

"Okay, I can't." Krista said. "I'm going to class. The bell's going to ring soon and I don't want to get mistaken for a freshman in the masses and be trampled over."

"What do you have?" Reiner asked.

"My career class. Nursing." She said.

"Oh, yeah, we're going in the same direction." Reiner said, pulling Krista along.

"Let's go Eren." Connie said. "I don't really want to be lost in the crowd either."

Eren threw up a deuce to Annie and Mikasa, who were in the same biomedical class together, along with Reiner and Bert, as they walked off.

"Why'd Jean go to class early?" Connie said, walking in stride with Eren.

"He said he wanted to get there early to pick out his locker." Eren shrugged.

"Mr. Mac doesn't let us pick lockers." Connie said with confusion in his voice.

"Yeah, well…" Eren broke off. "Jean drove me and Mika to school."

" _Oh_ ," Connie said, automatically understanding. "Was it awkward?"

"A little, yeah. I don't really think he's comfortable around Mikasa anymore."

"Is she still mad?"

Eren furrowed his eyebrows and tucked his hair behind his ear. "I don't know. Maybe. I doubt it. Mikasa's not really the kind of person to be mad forever, but she can hold contempt against someone."

"Well, they have to be on good terms right? If he offered to take both of you to school."

"I don't know." Eren said again."We're kind of a packaged deal. It would be way too fucking rude to just pick me up and not her."

"Well, you should be getting a car soon, right?"

"Hopefully. Then we won't have to deal with the awkwardness anymore."

Connie agreed, and he and Eren got into a conversation about soccer that lasted the remainder of their walk to class.

888

By the time lunch rolled around, Eren's stomach was weeping. Jean and Connie were laughing and talking about what the team would be like this year since the loss of last year's seniors.

"We're gonna hold it up!" Connie said as they walked towards the cafeteria. "But now we won't even be on the bench for a minute. Coach is gonna have us up for the whole game."

"Hopefully." Jean said. "We also have to vote on who's going to be captain once she decides who's on the team and who's not."

"It'll be you." Eren said. He was a short distance ahead of them. His stomach was making him walk faster.

"You think so?" Jean said, scratching the back of his head. "I don't know. I think it'll be Marco."

"Nah." Connie said, sure of himself. "Not Marco. He's good, but he's not you."

Jean didn't have time to ask what that meant before they reached the crowded cafeteria.

All the seniors were allowed to go to A lunch. So, Eren recognized most of his classmates, and breezed past the nervous freshman blocking every walkway possible.

"It told Mr. Mac we should have left early!" Connie said. "He hates us."

Jean groaned. "He gave us so much fucking book work. And it's only the first day."

Eren agreed. Mr. Mac (Connie like to call him Mr. Macadamia; he'd always get bookwork for that) was cool, but he was also very serious when it came to work and learning. His teaching wasn't fast paced, but his projects were insane sometimes. And just because he assigned a project didn't mean he slacked on class work and homework either.

Eren wasn't even sure if he wanted to do anything in engineering at all. He liked the class, the things he learned were interesting, and he could see himself in the field, but he didn't have an overwhelming passion for it like some students (Jean.)

The lunch line moved slowly, considering it was the first day, and some freshman didn't even know their student number, so they had to fish around their book bags for their schedule for it. It would be easier if everyone just had a school badge.

"Hurry up, shit!" Connie yelled, already starting to eat some of his potato wedges. Eren was so close to following in his footsteps. He needed food desperately. Trying to be a decent person and waiting to pay for his food before eating it was not working. Jean laughed.

"Did you not eat breakfast this morning?" He asked Connie.

"Sasha didn't come by this morning, so no."

Eren laughed. "Still haven't popped the question?"

"No." Connie answered quickly, eating another potato wedge. "We're just friends. How many times do I have to tell you idiots that?"

"Until you're actually telling the damn truth." Jean responded. Eren pointed at him in agreement.

"I hate you both. Jaeger I hope you fail our next test."

Eren answered with a perfectly straight middle finger in Connie's direction. A few of the freshman in line looked nervous, as if the familiarity amongst upperclassmen was awkward for them.

By the time they reached the front of the line, Eren had already eaten half his potato wedges, and Connie ate all of his.

They maneuvered out of the crowded building and headed outside towards the senior tables.

"All I'm saying is that you'll never know until you try." Jean said. Eren looked at him and Connie, just tuning into their conversation.

"I don't wanna fuck up." Connie said sadly. "If she doesn't feel the same, and I put myself out there like that just to get rejected, it's going to make everything awkward."

"I wouldn't take relationship advice from Kirstein anyway." Eren said.

"Fuck you." Jean said, throwing a chip at Eren. He easily dodged.

"Eleven o'clock tonight. Bring lube if you're ready." Eren said, bursting into laughter at the same time Connie did.

Jean smiled.

The rest of the group was already at the tables, much to Eren's relief. It was good to see the family all together.

"Yo!" Connie said, wrapping a free arm around Marco's neck after he set down his food. "I missed you freckled sweetcheeks."

Mina, who was sitting next to Marco, laughed, and stopped once she saw Eren.

"Hey guys!" Eren waved.

"Jaeger bomb!" Sasha yelled. Eren went to her end of the table, sitting on the end next to Mikasa.

"Stop calling him that." Reiner said. He was sitting quite close to Bert, with Krista on his other side. Ymir was sitting next to her.

"Mind if I sit here?" Jean asked Ymir.

Ymir waved a hand dismissively. Jean sat down.

"The gang's back together." Connie said, as he pulled up a random chair and sat at the head of the table.

"This isn't Scooby Doo." Sasha said, smiling.

Connie cleared his throat. "I don't remember asking you to speak."

Sasha spit out an insult to Connie, something about being short, and the whole table laughed. It was good natured fun.

"How was everyone's summer?" Marco asked.

There was a collective answer of 'good' and 'nice' and 'fun.' And one 'shitty.'

"Why?" Marco asked Eren.

"Because all of you fuckers went out of town and left me here."

They laughed.

"Do we have assembly today?" Ymir asked, a fry hanging halfway out of her mouth.

"You know we do." Reiner answered. "It's the first day. Pixis has to make his 'welcome home and welcome' speech to the student body and faculty."

"We should all just put up a middle finger, slowly, as he walks onto the stage." Connie said, making everyone laugh.

Jean spoke. "You know he always does the same shit. Class of 018, 017, 016, and when he says 015, we should all just put up a finger."

Ymir smirked. "I'm down."

Reiner agreed.

Bert spoke. "Won't we get in trouble?"

"Not if he can't see our faces." Eren said. "Let's all just kind of hang our heads low when he flick him off."

"Deal." Connie said.

Annie rolled her eyes. "You guys are idiots."

Connie stared at her. "If you had a dollar for every time you've said that to us…"

"She'd have enough to afford that soccer trainer she so desperately needs." Ymir said, smirking as she did so.

The whole table 'oooooohed' and Annie laughed dryly.

"Okay bitch." She said. "I see how it is."

"Love you, Lion." Ymir said.

"Who do you think is going to be captain of the team?" Mina asked, drinking her milk.

Eren looked up at her. She looked away.

"Well, earlier I was saying Jean for the boys, and I think Mikasa should be captain for the girls." Connie answered.

Everyone nodded in agreement accept for the two people mentioned.

"Fuck soccer." Reiner said suddenly.

Connie let out a loud 'ha', knowing he was doing this on purpose.

"All you guys do is kick a ball around until it eventually gets in the net."

"Get the fuck out." Eren said, pointing in a random direction. "Bert can go with you."

Bert started laughing, face turning red just a bit.

"And all you do is hit people." Jean said. "Fuck football."

Bert stopped laughing. "Now wait just a minute there, Jean."

Everyone stilled, waiting to see what he would say.

"Weren't you the one who tried out for the football team and didn't get in?"

Eren almost choked on his milk.

Mikasa and Annie smirked. The rest of the table erupted into laughter.

"You have been shut the fuck down!" Connie said, laughing as he pointed at Jean.

"Good point, Bert." Ymir said.

Marco sent Jean a reassuring look. "It's okay, Jean. At least you're great at soccer."

"The only thing he's good at." Annie said.

Jean huffed, finishing off his milk. "Why is everyone ganging up on me?"

"Because you're a fuckboy." Ymir answered.

Jean glared at her, ready to retort with a nice insult before he was interrupted.

"Room for one more?"

The whole group looked to see where the voice was coming from.

"Coconut!" Reiner screamed.

"Boy, get your sweet ass over here!" Connie yelled.

Mikasa looked at Annie. She was looking at her lap.

"Where have you been?" Krista asked, standing up to hug him. Armin didn't have any food, and Eren wondered if he had already eaten.

"I ate inside with some of the chess kids." Armin said.

Eren bit the inside of his cheek.

Krista sat back down. "Jean, scoot down so Army can sit."

Eren watched his best friend sit at the other end of the table. When he got settled in, his blue eyes scanned the table and found Eren's.

His smile faded a bit.

"Hey, Eren."

"Hey, Armin." Mikasa and Eren said.

"How was the meeting?' Krista asked, still eating her food. She took little mouse bites.

"It was really nice. There are a lot of freshman that have good credentials so far. This year's induction ceremony should have a lot of people."

"Look at you, already embracing your duty as president." Connie said.

Armin laughed. "Well, I don't even know how I got there, but I'm there. So, how was everyone's break?"

Eren wanted to shout out that they had already talked about that, and he should have been there earlier, but he drank the rest of his milk and noticed how it was hard to swallow.

888

The rest of the day went by kind of slow. Eren had Government 5th period. Sasha was in that class with him.

When he reached Statistics, he noticed the classroom smelled like cheese, and he saw Jean, already sitting in the back, on his phone.

"Why does it stink in here?" Eren asked, setting his book bag on the desk.

"Because you're in here." Jean said, still looking at his phone.

Eren was so used to insults being passed between him and Jean that he just stopped replying to all of them. It was just how they communicated.

"Why do I have to have a math?" Eren asked. "I already have all my credits."

"For the sake of rigor." Jean sighed, putting his phone in his pocket. "And it's an honors course."

Eren frowned. This was his fifth honors class, aside from his two Engineering classes, A&P and Government. He wasn't so sure how that was going to work out. He hadn't had honors classes before.

A few more students came into the room, all them sitting a part from each other. It seemed that no one really knew each other in here, and Eren was never more thankful for Jean's presence than right then. He was going to need _someone_ to cheat off of.

The bell rang, and the teacher walked in. More like bounced in. The teacher was a young male, probably somewhere in his twenties, and his hair was in a greasy pony tail at the nape of his neck.

"Good morning class! Oh, I mean, good afternoon. I forgot, this is seventh period, last class of the day. My bad."

Eren already didn't like him.

"We have assembly today, so we won't have much time in here. So, I'm just going to pass out this syllabus and you can take it home, get it signed, and bring it back by the end of the week."

He was one of those teachers that licked their fingers while passing out papers, and said 'here ya go' to each and every single person.

Eren groaned, and Jean laughed.

"Here ya' go!" The teacher said to Eren. "Here ya' go!" He said to Jean.

"Thanks Mr. Moore." Jean said.

The teacher smiled. "You are welcome."

Eren looked at Jean. "Already kissing ass."

"I looked through our textbook for this class, and believe me, you better start kissing ass too." Jean said, throwing the syllabus in his bag.

888

The announcement was made for seniors to report to the auditorium. Then juniors. And so on and so forth.

The auditorium was spacious and carpeted, the seats were raked. It always smelled brand new when you walked in. All school plays, meetings, and awards ceremonies took place here.

Eren and Jean found the rest of the group quickly. There were only two seats left in that row, and one of them was next to Mikasa.

Eren looked back at Jean and raised an eyebrow. Jean waved him off.

Eren took the seat next to Mikasa, and Jean took the seat next to Eren. The whole group took up the whole row.

"We still putting the fingers up?" Connie asked. Eren nodded, saying that he was. Jean said yes, figuring he'd go along with it.

"Where's Armin?" Jean asked, leaning forward in his seat and looking down the row. "He's not sitting with us."

"He's in SGA, so he has to sit with them at the front." Krista answered.

Eren didn't say anything.

The dean, Mr. Shadis, walked up to the podium, which was centered on the raised stage.

He cleared his throat in the mic.

Connie plugged his ears.

"Good afternoon, Titans!"

There were cheers, mainly coming from the juniors and sophomores.

"He's so loud." Annie said, checking a nail.

"You think we'd be used to it by now." Eren said.

Shadis was a naturally loud, domineering man. Some people's presence just required attention and respect, and he was one of those people. Eren remembered being in his office a few times, for petty scuffles, or talking back to the teacher.

"I am your dean, Keith Shadis. For those of you who do not know me, you should hope to never be in my office."

There was a soft murmur of laughter.

"Well, I'm not here to make a speech. But I'm here to introduce your principal, Mr. Dot Pixis. Let's give him a hand as he comes up."

The crowd started clapping as Mr. Pixis entered from left stage. Eren, Connie, Jean, Reiner, Ymir, and even Krista started looking at one another with shit eating grins on their faces.

"Good afternoon, Trost High."

Pixis wasn't as loud as Shadis, but his voice certainly was craggier.

"Before I say anything else, where's the Titans of 018?"

He held out a hand to the freshman section, and they caught on quickly, cheering as loudly as they could. There were boo's coming from every direction, from Eren as well.

"Titans of 017?"

The sophomores cheered. Connie always said it was funny to hear how everyone's collective voice got deeper by each class.

"Oh, the sophomores sound nice. What about the Titans of 016?"

The juniors were alright, but they weren't loud, or as hyped as anyone else. There was nothing exciting about being a junior. It was that awkward stage between 'you're still an underclassmen so you have no power here' and 'we're almost over everyone.'

"And how about the Titans of 015?"

The senior class cheered, loudly, the loudest. Eren and his assailants did as they planned, and put up a nice middle finger to the stage. Connie even stood up with his.

Pixis seemed to notice, because his eyes narrowed in their direction, and Krista put her finger down quickly, laughing as she did so. Jean put his down too. Eren, Reiner, Ymir, and Connie were still going strong.

Other students must have noticed, because they started laughing. Some started following in their footsteps.

"Alright. That is quite enough." Pixis said, his voice back to its serious tone. Even some of the teacher faculty was snickering, hoping no one saw them as they stood on the sides of the room.

They put their fingers down, leaning down the row to high five one another. Annie sighed.

"Idiots."

"Keep working on that trainer, Lion." Ymir said.

The rest of the assembly was spent with Pixis, explaining the rules and guidelines of Trost, the lunch schedules, and the various clubs that were available. All that information was mostly for the freshman.

Seventh period was close to ending by the time Pixis was done. They weren't really in there for a long time, considering 7th period was the shortest of the day.

"Alright. Thank you for your attention, and now you will be dismissed by classes."

Freshman were allowed to leave first, much to the seniors dislike. Then sophomores. Then juniors.

When the seniors were released, Pixis came back to the mic.

"Oh, and Mr. Springer!"

Connie stopped, and so did everyone else to look at him.

"See me in my office after school."

The crowd erupted into laughter, while Connie threw his hands up and started yelling.

"Why just me though!?"

Krista was giggling like crazy. "It's like he knew you were the one who came up with the idea and everything!"

888

Armin met the rest of the group in the parking lot, saying that he couldn't take Mikasa and Eren home because he had to stay for SGA.

Eren didn't really say anything, but he nodded and said that was alright. Mikasa hugged him goodbye, and they waited for Jean to come out of the building.

"What's wrong with you and Armin?" Mikasa asked.

Eren blinked.

"I don't want to talk about it right now."

Krista left with Ymir, Reiner and Bert had to stay after for some sort of football meet and greet, and Annie was already walking towards her car, heading to work at the gas station around the corner.

Marco and Mina were a few feet away, standing close to each other and laughing. Mina was riding home with Marco, and Marco was probably waiting for Jean.

"We have to talk about it eventually." Mikasa said.

"Does it bother you too?" Eren asked quickly. "Or is it just me?"

Mikasa shrugged. "I'm happy for him."

Eren jerked back like he had been slapped in the face. "I'm happy for him too!"

"Are you really?" Mikasa asked, finally looking at him.

Eren flared his nostrils, and sighed. "Does it seem like I'm not?"

"Yes."

Eren was about to respond, but Jean called out, walking towards them in the parking lot.

"Sorry." He said. He was smiling wide. "I had some business to take care of."

"What kind of business?" Eren asked, already sounding skeptical.

"You know Miranda?"

"Junior Miranda?" Eren asked, raising both eyebrows.

"Yeah." Jean said. That's all he said. That's all that _needed_ to be said. Eren could pretty much figure out what that meant. He'd ask for details later.

Mikasa was looking at her phone.

Marco walked up, while Mina stayed behind. He started talking to Jean about something or another, while Eren turned around and looked at Mina.

She crossed her arms over her chest and looked away.

Eren turned back around, seeing that Jean and Marco were already done talking, and Jean unlocked the car.

"See you tonight!" Jean called out.

"See ya'!"

Mikasa got in the passenger seat, and Eren in the back, just like that morning.

"What's going on tonight?" Eren asked.

"Marco's coming over for food and video games. I haven't really gotten the chance to talk to him all summer, and we need to catch up."

Eren hummed, and they left school.

888

When Eren and Mikasa walked through the front door, they immediately knew something was off. The television wasn't blaring like it should be, given a certain person being home. Which meant that Carla wasn't in the house, which was odd, because where else would she be?

"I thought she had today off." Eren said, slowly walking into the living room, squinting for evidence of his mother. Mikasa walked into the kitchen, laying her bookbag down on the island.

He shrugged. His mother was a responsible adult. Wherever she was, she was fine.

Eren went back to his room, opening the door, and wrinkled his nose. He knew that his room was dirty, but something smelled off. Like, something didn't belong in his room and it was letting him know it didn't want to be there.

"Shit." Eren cursed. He went over to his desk, and dug under a pile of random papers to find a half eaten tuna sandwich.

See, this… _this_ was the reason Carla was always telling him to clean his room. This shit was unsanitary, unnecessary, and unacceptable. Eren wasn't a clean freak, but he knew when things had gone too far, and this was it.

"I'm gross." He muttered aloud.

Because he had nothing else to do, Eren started tidying up his room. He plugged his phone in his speakers, letting 'MGMT' fuel him. He sang along, out of tune, while folding up and hanging clean clothes, separating them from the large pile of dirty ones.

He still hadn't taken the sandwich out yet. He'd do that last when he had to leave his room to go to the laundry room.

Eren frowned, finding that a nice amount of his laundry were boxers. Much to his embarrassment, even though he was a growing boy, a lot of those boxers were remnants of the last few weeks of his summer break. When there's nothing else to do, and all your friends are out of town or too busy to hang out, you gotta stay home and slap it.

He'd said that to his mom once, and she slapped him.

Either way, it was time for everything to get washed up. Eren grabbed the laundry basket, and walked over to the desk, where he put the spoiled tuna sandwich on top of the pile.

His music was so loud that he didn't even notice the voices up front. The laundry room wasn't really its own room. It was in the garage; the washer and dryer placed in a corner. The garage door was in the kitchen, where the voices were currently coming from.

"…Mikasa, why don't you go get Eren and tell him to come meet the new neighbors."

Eren stopped, eyes widening. He attempted to quietly turn around and go back to his room, but he wheeled around too fast, basket hitting the wall, knocking the plate off the pile of stained boxers.

He swore time slowed down before the plate actually broke, but when it did, he heard a gasp (most likely his mother's), and Mikasa came around the corner quickly.

"Why?" She asked, eyeing the sandwich, broken plate, and boxers littering the hall.

"Shut the hell up!" Eren whispered harshly, hoping the 'new neighbors' wouldn't hear him.

"I'll get a broom." Mikasa muttered, walking down the hall.

Eren peeked around the kitchen, and saw Carla standing on one side of the island, glass of wine in her hand, while three people sat across from her, two of them with glasses of wine in their hands.

"Eren Jaeger!" Carla said, setting her glass down a little harder than necessary. "What did you break this time?"

Parents fucking _loved_ to take a couple accidents and mistakes and apply them to everything their child did when something went wrong. 'Eren, what did you break this time?' 'Eren, wake up. You're going to be late for school again.' 'Eren, stretch properly. Don't hurt yourself this time.'

"Sorry mom." He said, trying to sound lighthearted, and hoping his face wasn't pale. "I was bringing a plate out and I dropped it.

He could hear Mikasa sweeping up shards of the ceramic plate as they spoke.

Carla smiled, but it was crooked.

"Well, Eren, since you're here, introduce yourself. These are the new neighbors from across the street."

Eren was trying not to look at them at first, hoping their faces were for some reason trained on the wall next to him, and not his stupid expression. He forced a smile, and tried not to look creepy.

"Hi." He said.

The lady he saw that morning, with the reddish colored hair, green eyes, and pretty face, was sitting between two men, a glass of wine in her hand daintily, one leg crossed over the other.

"Hello, Eren. My name's Isabel. Isabel Magnolia."

Eren nodded. The man to her right spoke next. He had dusty brown hair, blue eys, and a welcoming expression.

"I'm Farlan Church. Nice to meet you." He said with a small smile.

The man to the left, the short one Eren noticed that morning, didn't look so welcoming. He just looked blank, like he didn't care to be there, or anywhere actually. He was dressed nicely though, with black jeans and a dark green cardigan that brought out striking steel eyes. He cleared his throat.

"I'm Levi."

Eren nodded again, this time quickly.

Carla smiled. "I was across the street when you and Mikasa got home. I went to introduce myself, and then invited them over for wine and cheese. Except we ran out of cheese. I need to go to the store." She muttered.

She had a habit of getting off topic.

"And we really appreciate it." Isabel said. She took another sip of wine and spoke. "So, Eren, Miss Carla said you and your sister just started your senior year today. Are you excited?"

"Oh, just call me Carla!"

Eren stepped further into the kitchen. He hated talking to adults about school, because they didn't really care to hear how teens really felt about school. They just wanted to hear 'it's fine' and 'yeah it's fun' or 'it's cool.'

"Yeah." He answered, forcing a smile. "I am. I don't know about Mikasa."

"Oh!" Carla said suddenly. "I was telling them how you two play soccer."

"Oh, yes." Farlan joined. "Soccer is my favorite sport."

Eren breathed a little bit easier. "Did you used to play?"

Farlan tilted his head. "For a couple years in high school."

"That's cool." Eren said, meaning it this time.

Mikasa came back into the kitchen, a dustpan full of broken ceramic and moldy tuna sandwich. She walked over to the garbage bin and threw everything out.

Eren really hoped their guests didn't see the latter part.

"Well, if you'll excuse me," Eren said, backing out of the kitchen and away from awkward conversation, "I have some laundry to do."

Carla, Farlan, and Isabel nodded and smiled. The Levi guy though…didn't do or say anything.

Eren assumed he didn't really want to be there, or he was just as bad at awkward meetings just like himself. Either way, he turned around on the barstool, and listened, or maybe not, to the conversation everyone else was having.

Eren turned the corner and quickly grabbed his laundry basket. He practically speed walked through the kitchen, opening the door leading to the garage.

He stayed out there until Carla came out and said it was time for dinner.

888

It was eleven o'clock before Eren accepted the fact he wasn't going to sleep anytime soon.

It was eleven fifteen when there was a soft knock at his door.

"Yeah." Eren said, already knowing who it was.

Mikasa cracked the door open, and slipped in. Her satin pajama pants fluttered around her as she tiptoed over the wooden floor. Her arms were wrapped around herself.

"If your cold, put on a shirt." Eren said, eyes going back to his phone screen.

Mikasa went to the clothes drawer where she knew Eren kept his random shirts. There was a Trost High shirt in there, and she slipped it on. She had a habit of sleeping in sports bras, saying it got hot at night and shirts were unnecessary.

"I don't know if you should wear that." Eren said as Mikasa went to sit at the foot of his bed. "It's always been small on me. And if it's small on me then your muscles of steel should tear through it."

Mikasa laughed through her nose, and Eren smiled.

"Couldn't sleep?" He asked.

"Nope." She said, leaning back so that she was against the wall. She lifted the cover and put her feet underneath, kicking Eren's over.

"You can't just get in my bed and demand space!"

"I can, and I did." She responded, moving stray hair out of her eye. "So, we need to talk."

Eren grunted, putting his phone on his pillow and sitting up. He wasn't wearing a shirt, but neither of them cared. Stuff like that never bothered them.

"Okay," Eren began, "This is about one of three things. One being Jean, two being Armin, or three being those awkward ass guests mom invited into our abode."

Mikasa pursed her lips. "Let's start with Armin."

Eren sighed and plopped back down on the bed.

"Eren." Mikasa whined, closing her eyes, "You can't run forever."

He groaned. "I can, and I will."

"You are being so immature."

That caught his attention.

Eren sat back up, throwing the covers off him until most of them were laying on Mikasa. A serious expression was on his face.

"Fine. What do you want to talk about?"

"You're mad at him."

Eren shook his head quickly. "I'm not mad at him."

"Then what's the problem?"

"I don't know. I just…I'm just…mad at the situation I guess."

Mikasa paused and breathed out. "You know he's been working so hard…"

"Mikasa, seriously, next fucking topic. Jean." Eren said quickly.

Now it was Mikasa's turn to be aggravated.

"What about him?"

Eren shifted. "So, like, what's going on between you two?"

"Nothing."

"So, did he text you and say he was picking us up this morning, or did you text and ask?"

"He text me and asked. I said sure."

"Oh. Well, you two didn't really talk today."

"You're point?" Mikasa said with a little more attitude than Eren expected. He lifted his hands in a 'don't shoot' gesture.

"Are you still mad at him?"

"Next fucking topic. The new neighbors." Mikasa responded.

"Mika…"

"They seem nice. But…strange."

"I hope they know a person died in that house." Eren brought up again. "Seriously, that shit's creepy."

"The lady was pretty." Mikasa said. "That guy, Farlan, seemed nice. The other one, Levi…"

Eren interrupted her. "Short guy, short hair, small talk, and probably a small…"

"I'll tell mom." She stopped him mid speech.

Eren laughed and smiled. "But really, you don't see many people move in and out of these suburbs often. It's like, their families settle here and that's their family house…forever."

Mikasa laughed. "You think that'll be us?"

Eren scoffed. "Oh, hell no. No more Maria for me. Or these fucking picket fenced houses. And certainly no short guys with sleek eyes. They say not to trust a guy whose eyes aren't easily visible."

"You only say that because your eyes look like they came from 'A Bug's Life.'"

"….Get the fuck out."


	2. Chapter 2

On even days, Eren didn't have classes with anyone except Jean, and that was in 7th. Since it was a different set of classes, that also meant a different set of syllabi that he wouldn't be reading and taking home for his mom to blindly sign.

Carla had two kids, and they had seven classes each. That meant fourteen syllabi that she was expected to _thoroughly_ read and sign. No.

Like 'Terms and Conditions' no. Let's not and say we did.

It was the same routine, except Eren woke up on time that morning. Jean picked them up, making a lot of conversation with Eren to avoid recognizing the tension with Mikasa, school, and Jean took them home.

The day was nice and sunny, and Eren kept daydreaming about how nice soccer practice would be the next day.

He didn't have enough time to say 'I'm home' before Carla came whirling out of the kitchen calling his name.

"Eren!"

Eren's eyes widened, and Mikasa raised an eyebrow.

"What's wrong, mom?" He asked.

Carla smiled and shook her head. "Oh, nothing. I just…uh…earlier I talked to Isabel from across the street, and uh…"

Mikasa started laughing while Eren groaned. When Carla started to sputter over herself, that meant she was up to no good.

"What?" He asked.

"Well, Isabel was saying that she didn't know the first thing about lawn care, and neither did the two men staying with her. You know, I find it odd that a single woman would move in a house with two single men. Call me old fashioned, I guess. But the fact seems odd. Like, 'Three's Company' except it's two guys a girl. And no one knows how to take care of a lawn…"

"Rambling." Mikasa said out loud.

"Oh!" Carla said, smacking herself on the forehead. "Whatever, I'll just come out and say it. Eren, I told her you'd help with their yard."

"For what price?" He asked quickly.

Carla quickly smacked his arm. "For free! They're new here, and we're going to be kind, hospitable neighbors."

"That's child labor!" Eren said with a raised voice, already irritated with his mother's antics.

"Eren Jaeger you are going to take the tools and go across the street and help them get their shit together. Their lawn is hideous!"

"I don't see how that's my problem, but okay." Eren complained, quickly turning around and walking down the hall to his room so he could change.

His mom didn't say it had to get done today, but Eren didn't want to put it off. The rest of his after school time this week would be filled with soccer, and hell if he was gonna be bothered with this on the weekend.

He threw his bag down by his bed, and quickly rummaged through his drawers to find random clothing to put on for outside work. He grabbed his ear buds, and slid them in the pocket of his basketball shorts. He had on a short sleeved white shirt that would keep him cool while he did unpaid work in the sun.

When he walked in the kitchen to get to the garage, he was glaring daggers at his mom's back, who was ignorant of that fact as she was leaning over the stove cooking something and humming.

Thank the heavens the garage had been cleaned. Last year it was a mess, like, nothing could be found. You'd set something down and come back for it only to find it gone. It was like a labyrinth.

Carla had finally had enough and forced Mikasa and Eren to help her clean it, saying that they weren't pack rats and the mess was ridiculous. Eren received a nice smack to the back of his head when he pointed out that most of the junk in the garage was Carla's. Mikasa agreed with him, and of course, mom didn't smack her.

Sometimes Eren felt like his mom was sexist.

He didn't know exactly what he would need to get the yard work done, but the first thing would be the lawn itself. It was weedy and too tall.

He pushed a button on the wall next to the door, and the garage began opening. Eren pushed the mower out of the garage, across the street, and stopped it in the middle of the new neighbor's empty driveway.

He walked up to the front door, seeing that the knocker Miss Dooney had placed on there a few years ago was still there. It was the face of a goblin, and it was intricately designed. Carla complained about it all the time, saying that Miss Dooney had ruined a perfectly good door with her eccentric depiction. Eren thought it was cool.

He rang the doorbell and waited for anyone to answer.

The door swung open to reveal the short man from yesterday.

Levi.

He was wearing black jeans, once again, and a white graphic tee with a picture of black-rimmed glasses on the front.

Eren cleared his throat. "Hello, Mr. Levi. Sorry to disrupt you, but my mom volunteered me to come over and help with the lawn."

He didn't know if he should refer to Levi as 'mister.' He didn't look that old, but he looked old enough to make Eren uncomfortable referring to him as just 'Levi.'

Levi nodded curtly. "Yeah. Isabel mentioned something like that earlier."

Eren stuttered. "Y-yeah, so, I'm just going to start cutting the grass, and I'll do the bushes later.

Levi shrugged. "Okay."

And closed the door.

You know, some people are just rude, Eren thought. Like, they'd be rude and not even realize they were being rude, that's how rude they were.

He huffed, and pulled out his ear buds, connecting them to his phone and going to his favorite radio app.

The lawn wasn't big, but it was a nice size. It was the same as everyone else's in the neighborhood. Flat, green grass behind a white picket fence; incredibly mundane and an eyesore for Eren to look at every day.

Connie would joke that Rose Neighborhood was the physical representation of the middle class conservatives in Maria that had yard parties to 'get to know the neighbors better' and yard sales to 'make more room to renovate bigger bathrooms they can wipe their boring asses in'. Eren always laughed, knowing that Connie was only making jokes, but he always felt like he was partly serious. Connie wasn't a person to hold ill feelings against anyone or any group for anything, but growing up in the run-down part of town made him a little prejudice, rightfully.

Eren went in straight rows while mowing, u-turning at the end of each one. Metric was blasting in his ears as he sang along. Good music always made tedious tasks bearable.

He had broken into a sweat, not that it mattered. The evening sun was setting on the horizon, so it would warm up before the sky was dark and the moon came out. Eren hoped he would be done in decent time.

When he finally cut the mower off, he let out a loud 'phew' sound, and wiped his forehead with the back of his hand. The back of his neck was hot; he should cut his hair.

Carla always said he looked like some kind of rockstar when his hair was longer. Him and Mikasa always let their hair grow out for the summer, even though the temperatures were high. There was something he loved about riding passenger in Connie's crap truck and leaning out the window to feel the wind hit his face and blow his locks back.

But with soccer season approaching, it might just be better to go ahead and cut it. Sweat bands were kind of losing their style anyway.

Eren was glad the new neighbor's yard was the same size as everyone else's, because he didn't have to stop and unload the grass bag in the middle of his work. It was just enough space in the bag to get the whole job done at once.

When he pushed the mower in the driveway, he realized that he didn't bring any trash bags over with him. So, he quickly darted across the street to his open garage, and grabbed a few.

When he darted back across the street, the front door was opening, and Levi was walking out.

Eren pursed his lips, feeling a bit nervous as he watched Levi observe the yard. He had his arms crossed and his eyes squinted.

Eren spoke first.

"Hey, I just…went across the street to get some garbage bags. The garbage truck only picks up grass separate from regular garbage. So I can just put the grass next to our garbage can; I'm sure my mom wouldn't mind."

The man lifted his head a bit, and turned to look at Eren.

"You call this straight?"

Eren's eyes widened immediately as he looked back and forth between the lawn and Levi.

"Is it not?" He asked, heart beat increasing.

Levi tilted his head to the side. "Do you not know what a straight line looks like? I thought your mother said you were starting 12th grade. Not kindergarten."

Eren furrowed his eyebrows. "Hey, man, look, you don't have to be a jerk about it. I was just trying to help out."

Levi continued to look at him, his eyes no longer squinted, and Eren wondered if he had just overstepped some imaginary boundary. It's not like it was his fault though. Levi had come off rude to him first.

"You don't have to worry about the bushes. I'll find someone else to do those."

At that, the man turned around and walked back into the house, swinging the door closed behind him.

Eren stood in the driveway, sweaty, mad, and most of all, confused.

888

"Well, that wasn't very nice."

Eren shook his head and continued eating his mixed vegetables.

Carla cleared her throat and continued. "If I would have known he was going to be like that, I would have never sent you over there. Not unless Isabel was there. I'm sure she wouldn't have treated you like that."

Eren was chewing and looked up. "You know, you and Isabel sure have gotten comfortable in just two days."

Carla smiled. "I'm a great neighbor. Anyway, Mikasa, how was school?"

Mikasa put a finger up, indicating she wanted to finish her orange juice first. Eren always told her that orange juice was strictly a breakfast drink, and drinking it any other time of day was treason.

"It was fine." She answered. Typical.

"Have you two talked to Armin?" Carla asked, finishing up her food. "I know it's only been a couple days, but usually he would have been by the house by now."

Eren stuffed his face with more food. Mikasa answered.

"Eren and Armin aren't on good terms right now."

Eren slammed his fork down on his plate, looking at Mikasa with cold eyes. Carla gasped.

"Eren, what happened?"

"I don't want to talk about it. It's stupid."

Carla pursed her lips, then turned her head to look at Mikasa. "Mikasa?"

"It's not my place to say."

Eren rolled his eyes. "Of course. You can bring it up and not tell the whole story."

"Would you rather tell it?" Mikasa asked with feigned politeness.

"No." He said. His wooden chair scraped the tile as he stood up and went to clear off his plate. "It's not worth talking about."

Carla huffed in disbelief. "Your friendship with Armin isn't worth talking about?"

Eren set his plate in the sink a little harder than necessary. " _Maybe_ it's not."

"Eren," Carla said sharply. Eren knew that tone well. He turned around, and bit his bottom lip as he looked at his mother. She was still facing forward in her chair, so that her back was completely turned to him. Her hands were folded under her chin.

"I understand you're a little irritated today, but that is no excuse to be a smart ass."

Eren gulped hard. "Yeah. I mean, yes ma'am. I'm sorry."

She turned her head so that he could see her face. She looked sympathetic.

"If there is something wrong with you and Armin, you can tell me."

Mikasa was still sitting at the table, still eating, still avoiding eye contact. Carla was waiting.

Eren wanted to. He wished he could go lean on his mother and tell her everything. Once upon a time, he thought he could. But he had hit that age where he realized he didn't need nor necessarily want to tell his mother everything that was wrong with him. He could fight his own battles.

"It's nothing, mom." He answered, voice a little choked. He quickly cleared his throat. "We'll be fine."

888

"I'm just saying," Connie continued as he opened his locker, "If Krista wasn't into girls…"

"Yeah." Jean agreed, dressing out for practice. "I don't think she's just into girls though. I think she might swing both ways."

Eren rolled his eyes and pulled a shirt over his head. He had missed this; dressing out for soccer practice. As soon as the bell rung for the day to be over, he practically ran to the locker rooms to start dressing out.

"As long as Ymir's around, Krista won't be swinging anywhere." Eren said, slamming his locker.

He waited for Jean and Connie to finished getting dressed. There were underclassmen boys mulling around the locker room as well, chatting and fidgeting, all ready to go out to the field.

The walk to the open field always made Eren relaxed. The field area was his favorite part of school. He breathed in deeply, inhaling the fresh air and looking at the tall trees on the sides of the wide path they were walking.

"Hey, Eren," Jean said, catching his attention. His eyes were squinted from the sunlight. "What's been up with you today?"

Eren shrugged. "Nothing. I'm good."

"Bullshit." Jean said. Connie was a distance ahead of them, walking and talking to some freshman girls that were also trying out. Flirting unsuccessfully.

"Is it because of Armin?"

Eren closed his eyes and huffed out an angry breath. "Why does everyone think everything has to do with Armin?"

Jean threw his hands up in innocence. "Whoa, calm your sorry ass down. I just noticed that you two really didn't speak yesterday at lunch. And he hasn't sat with us for the past few days either."

"Armin can sit wherever he wants." Eren said tiredly.

Jean laughed (cackled). "Boy, you really are bitter."

"Oh shut the fuck up." Eren snapped. "Don't make me bring up Mikasa."

Now it was Jean's turn to be upset.

"Has she said anything about me lately?" He asked.

"Nope. Not really." Eren said.

Jean looked defeated, and turned his gaze forward. Eren looked at him and instantly felt bad.

"How the hell am I supposed to be mad at you when you make that stupid face like someone killed your favorite horse."

Jean gasped. "Hey! Don't even joke about that. Don't even speak it into the air!"

Eren laughed and allowed himself to smile. He took another deep breath to bring himself back to earth. It was beautiful outside, he was going to soccer practice, life was fine.

"No, but seriously," Jean said, "Do you think she still…"

"Hates you?" Eren finished. "I don't know. I'm not sure if she ever did."

"Do you think she'll forgive me?" Jean asked.

Eren groaned inwardly. He loved Jeannyboy, he really did, but he was one of _those_ people. One of those people that believed forgiveness also meant forgetfulness and that if he was forgiven, then the past just erased itself.

Mikasa, on the other hand, didn't give a shit what Jean believed. She was one of those people that did things on their own terms the way they saw fit, and no one else's opinion deterred them.

That being said, when everything blew up their junior year, Eren couldn't convince Mikasa to talk to Jean for shit. She did everything on her own time. She lived, loved, talked, and _forgave_ on her own volition.

Eren, as well as the rest of their group of friends, knew this, but that information always seemed to slip Jean's mind. And Eren hated it. He hated that Jean thought he could just sway people into forgiving him and the whole world would go back to spinning the way he wanted it.

Eren had forgiven him, as hard as it may have been. He knew what it was like to be a guy, albeit one that was confused, but he still knew. He knew people made mistakes, and that no one was perfect. He was sure Mikasa knew that too, but…

"I feel like I can't say sorry enough." Jean said.

They were in eyesight of the field. A few others were already out there, stretching or standing around, waiting for instructions. There were orange cones already set up. Eren noticed the goals weren't up though.

"Sorry doesn't change anything."

"I know that!" Jean snapped. "But…I just…"

"I'm sure she doesn't hate you." Eren said, about ready to end this conversation. "She just doesn't want the same thing you do right now."

Jean opened his mouth to say something, but nothing came out. He decided to drop it.

A few underclassmen that were on junior varsity last year spoke to Jean and Eren as they walked by. Everyone pretty much knew them already.

Mikasa, Annie, Ymir, and Sasha were all standing in a small group centerfield. Eren clapped and whistled.

"Looking good ladies." He smirked.

Sasha looked down at herself, like she couldn't remember what she was wearing at the moment. Jean laughed.

"Hey Ymir, you sure Krista's okay with you wearing those booty shorts out here?"

Ymir grinned, scratching the back of her head. "I dunno. I'm sure she's fine. Especially since she's already seen me-

"Oh, coach is here!" Eren quickly interrupted, making everyone laugh.

Surely enough, there was a being full of energy, waving and greeting everyone they walked past. Coach Hanji.

Eren had missed her, really. Sometimes he swore she was a few short seconds away from flying off to the moon, that's how energetic she could be. Even though she was cool and liked to have fun during practice, when it came down to games, she was serious.

Hanji was waving at everyone, instructing them to meet centerfield.

"Let's go!" She was yelling, clapping her hands. "Let's get this started!"

Once everyone was gathered, Hanji instructed everyone to make a circle. They did so, haphazardly, making a circle for Hanji to stand in the middle of (Annie said it was an oval).

"Good afternoon!" Hanji started, pulling a hair tie out of her pocket and shifting her hair into a ponytail.

"I'm the soccer coach of course. I coach both JV and varsity. I've never played soccer in my life. I'm currently completing my masters for my major in anatomy and physiology. I hate gingerbread cookies, or ginger period. No, I do not have a favorite soccer player. I'm twenty eight years old."

She paused to take a breather. A few people were giggling.

"Now, I've introduced myself to those who do not already know me. Moving on with why you're all here today. Each of you wants to be on the soccer team, correct?"

Everyone nodded vigorously.

"Okay," She said, folding her arms across her chest. She was wearing a dark green Trost t-shirt and black basketball shorts. "Let's just be honest, not all of you will make the team. Junior varsity or varsity. The reason why I wanted to call a meeting today is so that my lovely varsity players from last year," she gestured in Jean's direction, "can demonstrate what conditioning and try-outs will be like. I know what the e-mail said, but this is not try-outs. This is not conditioning. This is an introduction."

Someone raised their hand, a freshman boy. "Excuse me ma'am."

"Just call me coach." Hanji quickly stated.

"Okay, coach. So, there won't be any judging today? This is just to get everyone comfortable."

Hanji smiled wide and nodded. "Yes. There will be no definitive decisions today, but I'm doing this to give everyone an opportunity to back out if they want. I know I will not see all of you at conditioning, and I'll see even less of you at practice. And maybe even fewer of you will make a team."

That sobered everyone up.

"Last year, our varsity girls did great. We were one game short of regionals, but I was extremely proud of their tenacity. Our varsity boys went to regionals, and lost. But I was never more proud of them."

She gestured in Eren and Mikasa's direction. The rest of the circle clapped.

"Now, I've already made some decisions as to who will be on varsity this year definitely. Kirstein, Jaeger, Springer, and Bodt, your spots on boy's varsity are guaranteed."

Eren beamed and high fived Jean, who turned around to high five Marco, who was in a headlock by Connie, who was shouting in joy.

Everyone laughed.

"As for the girls, Mikasa, Annie, Sasha, and Ymir, your spots on girl's varsity are guaranteed as well. These people have already been on varsity for three years, and their involvement has definitely made the teams stronger."

"The rest of you, however, have to prove yourself. But today is just an introduction. I want to show you what to expect at conditioning, and what you'll see at tryouts. Everyone spread out; give each other arm's length of room, and get ready. We're gonna stretch!"

The next fifteen minutes were spent with Eren and a few of the others taking turns demonstrating certain stretches. Hanji stood to the side and let them lead. There were a few whistles when Ymir was up front, and more whistles when Mikasa was up front. Eren and Jean were both frowning.

Eren had noticed a few underclassmen girls watching him and Jean intently. It didn't quite excite him like it should have.

The rest of the time was spent with cone practices. There were four lines of orange cones, and Eren, Jean, Annie, and Connie were all standing at the end of one lane. They were demonstrating how they normally do cone drills, while Marco, Sasha, Ymir, and Mikasa were a distance off demonstrating partner kicks. After fifteen minutes, the groups switched.

The soccer 'introduction' was over by 4:30, and Eren was peeling his shirt off on the way back to the locker room.

"It's fucking hot!" Connie shouted somewhere from behind. He was wearing his shirt on his head.

Mikasa and the girls were some distance ahead. Jean was obviously looking at them.

"Oh," Eren stated suddenly, "I didn't see any thirst traps out here, but-

"Shut the fuck up Jaeger," Jean said, smiling sheepishly. "I'm just admiring, that's all."

"Well can you try to admire my sister's ass when I'm somewhere not in the line of sight?"

Jean laughed. "The only time I get to see her is when you're somewhere around."

Eren nodded. Marco was on his right side, wiping his forehead with a towel.

"Today was fun."

"Yeah." Eren said. "I freaking missed this."

"It's our senior year," Jean said, shaking his head slowly. "We've got to go all out. We've got to make it to state."

"Fuck that!" Connie said, finally catching up. "We've gotta win state."

Eren bumped a fist with him on that one, and Jean cheered.

"Anyway, Marco Bodty-boy," Connie said, "how are you and Carolina?"

Marco blushed a little bit. "We're fine. She couldn't make it today because of a yearbook meeting, but she'll be at conditioning."

"You think she'll make varsity?" Connie asked to no one in particular.

"She should." Jean answered. "She's good."

Eren nodded.

"She's a really great girl," Marco continued. Connie mocked throwing up.

"No, but seriously!" He continued, laughing. "She's sweet, and dorky, and sometimes she takes things to literally so it's hard to be sarcastic, but it's cute and so is she and-

"And you can't stop thinking about her and how you want to be with her and everything else." Jean finished, rolling his eyes. "This is the same shit you said at the house the other day."

Connie laughed. "If you two start dating, she has to be initiated into the squad, and I'll be the head of the ceremony."

Eren yelled. "I wanted to be the head of the next initiation!"

"When was the last fucking time we had an initiation?'" Jean asked, loudly enough that Ymir could hear ahead of them.

"Like, middle school. And that's when we brought Krista in!" She yelled over her shoulder.

The initiation was, for lack of a better description, a basic shit plan in order to induct someone into their immediate group of friends. Krista moved to Maria in the sixth grade, and got inducted in the seventh.

It always happened at Annie's house. Annie and her dad lived in a lake house on the outskirts, and every once in a while, they'd all meet up there and go swimming, have a bonfire, or a sleep over. Her dad was rarely home, so there were times where they had the entire lake house to themselves.

In order to be inducted, you had to strip completely naked, cover yourself in cooking oil, and jump into the water. This was the process. All of them had to do it, even Armin. Water and oil don't mix, so it was extremely difficult to clean yourself off. Krista had gotten so frustrated she started to cry.

"Damn," Eren said, "it _has_ been a long time."

Marco cleared his throat. "Um, I don't think she'll quite be comfortable with that initiation."

"Nonsense!" Connie said, clapping Marco on the shoulder. "It'll be dark, I'll even make Jean wear a blindfold."

"Why just me?" Jean asked incredulously.

Connie pointed. "Because everyone knows if anyone was likely to peek, it would be you!"

888

When Jean dropped Eren and Mikasa off at home, he politely told them to 'hurry up and get the fuck out' of his car because 'there's an equestrian showcase on TV and I've already missed the opening ceremony.'

Eren wanted so desperately to make a joke, but he complied and practically rolled out of Jean's car.

When he sped out of the driveway, Eren turned around and looked the neighbor's house across the street. There was a car in the driveway, the same one he saw on the first day, and the bushes were trimmed neatly.

He squinted.

When they walked in the house, they spoke to Carla first, and both went their separate ways.

"You can get the shower first." Eren said. Mikasa nodded.

It was another hour before both were washed up and in some horribly matched lounging clothes, in the kitchen salivating over Carla's cooking.

She made pork chops and mashed potatoes. Eren thanked whatever or whoever was responsible for the creation of the potato and the pig as he ate. When he looked over at his mom's plate, he noticed that, compared to his plate and Mikasa's, she had small portions.

"Is that all you're gonna eat mom?" He asked.

Carla shrugged. "I had a big lunch."

"What did you have?" Mikasa asked quickly.

"Oh, I went to _Tu-Do's_."

Eren's eyes widened. "How could you?"

She laughed. "Sorry. I was craving Vietnamese."

There was more casual conversation, more laughter, and Eren felt a lot better about this evening's dinner than yesterday's.

"Well, I'm very proud of you two," Carla said. "Hanji obviously sees I have to Fifa World Cupper's here in my kitchen."

Mikasa laughed louder than intended. Eren just shook his head.

"You make up words like someone pays you to do it."

888

For the rest of the week, Eren focused in school, swearing to himself and his mom that he would try harder this year. He and the squad went to the park after school to play some practice games. Eren wished they could use the field at school, but the football players had practice.

Friday night, he slept over at Connie's for food and video games. That used to be his and Armin's thing, but…

His mom didn't mention anymore of Isabel, and Eren didn't see any more of Levi, but he noticed that on Saturday morning when Connie dropped him off at home, the neighbor's white picket fence was gone.


	3. Chapter 3

"Alright, class! Your bell work is asking for the standard deviation of this problem. Remember the process we talked about yesterday requires you use that really long formula. Don't forget to find your sum, then square the numbers given to you. Plug those numbers into the formula, and that way you will find your standard deviation. Once you do that, you plug your standard deviation into…

Eren and Jean stared at the whiteboard like two deer in headlights. It was Jean that spoke first, in a whisper.

"We did this yesterday?"

Eren shrugged. "I guess. Check the notes."

Jean flipped through his notebook and found his poorly jotted down 'notes' from the day before. There was a hastily drawn penis next to the date he put at the top and no one else but Jaeger could have done that. He slammed it closed.

"I am going to fucking fail."

Eren laughed. "It's only the second week of school."

"And I already know I'm going to fail." Jean responded. "I'm not fit for Statistics."

It was 7th period on a Tuesday, and Eren found himself oddly in a good mood. The day had been quick, the clock spinning at the speed he wanted it to. Jean, however, didn't seem like he was in the best shape.

"Hey," Eren said, starting on his work after Mr. Moore _finally_ stopped talking. "You okay? You seem a little distracted today."

"I'm fine," Jean answered. "Just tired."

Eren didn't say anything for a little while so he could at least pretend he was focusing on his work. He missed the days where math wasn't so complicated that you had to do ten steps to find one answer to _start_ the actual problem.

"So you remember how I was saying I got Miranda's number?" Jean interrupted. Eren looked over at him and narrowed his eyes.

"Yeah, junior Miranda. What did you do?" He asked slowly.

Jean smirked and continued to write, punching numbers in his calculator with the eraser of his pencil. "It's more like what didn't I do."

Eren gaped. "Jeannyboy! When?"

"Saturday night." He answered, shrugging. "Her parents were gone. She asked me to come over."

Eren laughed in disbelief. "Well that was fast!"

"It's all she really wanted anyway." Jean said, smirk fading a bit.

Eren shook his head, looking back at his paper. The numbers in front of him looked foreign.

"You waste no time." He said. "So, how was she?"

"She was nice." Jean answered, casting his gaze to the ceiling as if he had to recall it. "Very pretty girl."

Eren whistled. "She is pretty. But I thought she had a boyfriend."

"Hell if I know."

Before Eren could say anything else, the teacher had resumed his spot at the podium at the front of the class, and began talking about the problem on the board. Eren gave up, saying something under his breath about Statistics that caught Mr. Moore's attention just as the class had gone unceremoniously quiet.

"What was that, Mr. Jaeger?"

Everyone, the handful of people in the classroom, turned around and looked expectantly at Eren. Jean was laughing silently.

Eren shrugged.

"I said I don't like Statistics."

The teacher squinted. "Well why is that, Mr. Jaeger? Is it because you don't know how to do it yet? Because I'm sure you could learn if you actually paid any attention in my class instead of joking with Mr. Kirstein back there and causing disturbances."

Eren fought the desire to roll his eyes. "I do pay attention. This stuff just doesn't make any sense."

Just then, the teacher slammed a hand down on the wooden podium. "Don't you ever say that again, Eren Jaeger! Math is completely logical, it makes all the sense in the world. Don't say it's wrong, or it doesn't make sense just because you don't understand!"

Eren sat forward in his chair and raised his voice. "Okay, you don't have to raise your voice with me sir. That's my opinion on Stats, and I'm sticking with it."

"Alright." Mr. Moore said. He moved to stand in front of the board. "Eren, what did you do for this problem. What is it asking for?"

Eren smirked, looked at Jean and raised an eyebrow. He turned back forward and picked up his notebook, clearing his throat like he was about to drop some knowledge.

"Find the standard deviation of the number of people in this class who actually care about this class. Then apply it to the question of probability. That being, what is the probability that I'll pass this class given that I also do not care."

…

888

Detention was always a nuisance. It extended the school day, and it was always filled with people who looked like they had killed a man.

Trost high school's detention rules stated that there was to be no talking, eating, or sleeping. All you did in detention was grab a dictionary (the thick Webster's edition), and wrote down words and definitions. Eren had gotten so used to writing and defining all his years of high school that one time he had made it to the middle of the 'E's' in three days worth of detention, and the librarian gave him a sucker.

Punishment and reward.

Eren had called his mom immediately after the bell rang, explaining to her quickly in a loud, crowded hallway that he would need to be picked up in an hour because he got detention. Carla, who was so used to this phone call, would mumble and say 'alright.' When she picked him up, he always got an earful.

' _You can't curse out a teacher!'_

' _Lunch is for eating, not throwing!'_

' _Stop being a smart ass to the janitor. If he needs to clean the bathroom, leave the damn bathroom!'_

' _No means no!'_

Eren stopped writing, sighing heavily as he wrung out his hand. He swore being left handed made life harder to live sometimes. He flexed his hand and looked around the library.

There were quite a few people in detention already. Armin had once said that the teachers at Trost were all uppity and from richer families. However, not all the students that attended Trost were like that. Some came from all walks of life, and Armin said that the teachers weren't sensitive to certain ethnicities or behaviors.

When Eren tried pleading that case to his mom, he got a very short answer in return.

' _Armin can't save you!'_

Eren thought about Armin more and more throughout the slow ticking of time. He wondered what he was up to right then. He was probably at some meeting for some club he was president over, hanging with his new, smart friends that weren't dumb enough to mouth their way into detention.

His mood was heading south, and quickly. He decided to stop thinking about it. It's not like there was anything he could do.

When Carla pulled up to the front of the school, Eren could sense her stiff posture through the car. He approached slowly, and opened the passenger door.

"Want me to drive?"

Carla continued to sit still, then she opened her door, and they traded places.

She didn't speak until they were on the highway back home.

"You are seventeen years young. Don't you think you're a little too old for this crap?"

Eren's heart pounded at her tone of voice.

"I mean, I thought that you said you'd get yourself together this year!"

"I am!" He yelled. "I mean, I will."

"When?" Carla asked quickly, turning her head to face him. "When are you going to grow up?"

Eren bit his lip to avoid cursing. "I'm already grown up." He said lowly, trying to keep his voice calm. He was gripping the steering wheel tightly.

"I don't understand." Carla continued. "I don't hound you and Mikasa. I give you your freedom. You know what, if you're acting out because your father-

Eren slammed on the breaks, making Carla scream. There were cars that honked at them as they changed lanes and whizzed by.

"Eren, you just can't stop in the middle of the highway!"

"Stop it, just stop!" He yelled. "Don't bring him into this when he has nothing to do with it!"

"Okay, just drive damnit!"

Eren let up, and the car moved. He pressed his foot on the gas, driving faster than his mom was comfortable with, but she didn't stop him.

When they pulled into the driveway, Eren practically slammed his hand to the garage button in the car and veered in.

He closed the garage, and him and Carla were left in the quiet car, the only light source being the garage light.

"Why would you do that?" He asked quietly, his voice loose. "I get it, ma. I-I fuck up sometimes, but why the hell do you think it has anything to do with Grisha?"

Carla's eyes were shimmering. "Sometimes, single-parents have a hard time raising their children."

"That's your excuse?" He asked, gaze still forward. "Mom, I know I messed up. But please, don't you ever think for a second that how I act has anything to do with _him_."

Carla inhaled a shaky breath and nodded quickly. "Okay. I'm sorry. You're right. That was too far."

Eren nodded, and pulled the keys out of the ignition. He tossed them to his mom, and got out the car. He opened the rear car door, grabbed his bookbag, and slammed it.

Mikasa was standing in the kitchen, watching something on the stove. When Eren stormed in, she noticed his frazzled state, but didn't call out to him.

As soon as Carla walked in the kitchen and closed the door behind her, there was a loud slam down the hall; Eren slamming his door.

Carla's eyes were red, and her cheeks were puffy. Mikasa put her phone down on the island and spoke.

"What happened?"

Carla shook her head. "Nothing, honey. Can you do me a favor and finish up dinner today? The salad is in the fridge."

Mikasa nodded, and watched as Carla walked out of the kitchen and down the hall.

888

That night, Mikasa crept in Eren's room and found him lying face down on his bed. Music was playing softly from his speakers.

She approached the bed, and laid on her side on the edge, waiting for him to turn his head and look at her. When he finally did, his eyes just looked tired.

"I suck." Eren said, voice shaky. "I'm a horrible fucking son."

"No." Mikasa said, reaching a hand up to wipe hair out of his eyes. "You are not."

"She thinks my behavior has to do with dad not fucking be around. Like, what the fuck." He said quietly.

Mikasa continued to mess with his hair. "Do you think that's true?"

"Hell no." Eren answered quickly. He reached up a hand to stop Mikasa from playing in his hair, and sat up on the bed to scoot over and make more room. "I don't care that he's not here. It's for the best."

"Maybe mom is thinking that you need a male figure in your life."

Eren laughed bitterly. "Armin's grandpa is the only male figure I need. At least he actually cares about family and values and nice shit like that."

"You don't know what Grisha cares about."

"You're right," Eren added quickly, getting even more frustrated. "I don't. I don't fucking know what the man values or cares about, but I know it can't possibly be me, because he's never fucking here!"

"Do you want him to be?"

Eren choked. Yes? No? Maybe?

"No."

Mikasa looked at him, her eyes heavy and filled with sleep. Eren sighed.

"You didn't have to wake up to come check on me."

"It's two in the morning, I can hear Oliver Slim across the hall, and we have conditioning tomorrow."

"Today." Eren corrected. "It's Wednesday."

"Today." She said, yawning. "We have conditioning today, and you need to get some kind of sleep." She paused. "And you need to cut your hair."

"Only if you cut yours."

"Alright. I was planning on it anyway."

Eren fist bumped her, and leaned back so that he was being supported by the wall.

"How was the car ride home with Jean?" He asked, smirking.

"Awkward. Quiet." She said in a bored voice. "He tried to start a conversation, but that didn't get very far."

Eren laughed and shook his head. "Will you two ever go back to normal?"

She shrugged.

The rest of the time Mikasa lounged around in his room was spent with more Oliver Slim and The XX, conversations about school, and a deep discussion about the new neighbors.

"I'm pretty sure the neighborhood association is going to fine them for taking up that fence." Mikasa said.

"Yes!" Eren said. "I mean, fuck the neighborhood association, but you can't just tear up the fence. Everybody has to have one."

"I wonder why they did it."

"Ask mom," Eren said, frowning. "Isabel is probably going to tell her."

"That Levi guy probably tore up the fence." She said.

"Yeah. It probably wasn't straight enough for him." He said, rolling his eyes. "I mean come on. I didn't do that bad. And why does it really matter so much if the rows were crooked. I got volun-told to do their yard. No one told me I had to do it well."

"He's kind of cute." Mikasa said, checking a nail.

Eren paused. He paused breathing, blinking, and thinking.

Mikasa looked up at him.

"Mikasa, what the fuck?"

"He is. He was getting the mail this morning, and he had on a loose plaid shirt and some jeans, like he slept in it or something. But dude looks like he's got muscle."

Eren shook his head side to side. He hadn't noticed anything about Levi's muscles or appearance. Now that he thought about it, it's not like the man was bad looking. He was handsome in a dark way.

"So, no more Jean then?" He asked.

"Please," Mikasa said, "I'll date his horse before I date him again."

888

Conditioning the next day was way more hype than Eren expected. Everyone that had showed up for the introduction was there for conditioning, and it seemed that everyone was in good shape.

Hanji sometimes let them slack on intense exercises and drills during practice, but today, she had a strenuous regimen set up, and everyone was doing their best to keep up with it.

"Good job, Jaeger!" Hanji called out from centerfield. They were doing successive cone drills, and Eren felt like he had ran through and dribbled the ball at least twenty times already. But he was enjoying this. The familiar ache in his calves was coming back, and he was finding it a little hard to breath. He wouldn't want it any other way.

On the other side of centerfield, the girls were doing the same cone practices. Mikasa was off to the side, spurring the underclassmen along. Before conditioning had even started, Hanji encouraged anyone who felt light headed or winded to take a break. Better safe than sorry.

Mina looked like she was holding up well. While Eren took a moment to look to the girl' side, he accidently made eye contact with Mina, and she frowned and looked away.

Eren lifted his shirt and wiped his forehead with it. Jean finished cone drills a few seconds after he did, and went to stand on the sidelines with him.

"Phew!" Jean said, grabbing his water bottle. He squeezed water into his mouth and swished it around before swallowing it. Eren cringed a little.

"My fucking legs are going to be screaming later on tonight." He said.

Eren nodded. "It's good Coach decided to go all out for conditioning. That way everyone knows what the try outs and practices will be like."

A few moments later, Marco came jogging to the sidelines, panting.

"I…cannot." He said between breaths. He bent over and rested his hands on his knees. Jean laughed.

"I know you love sweets, but you knew we had conditioning today."

Marco laughed, still breathing heavily. "Petit fours are the devil, and I have fallen for them, hard."

The rest of conditioning was spent going through different drills. Hanji had already pointed out that two-person dribbling was going to be a big focus in all their practices.

' _If you can't pass and receive, what are you out here for?'_

Eren could admit, happily, that his synchronization with his friends hadn't faltered. He mainly passed to Jean, as Jean was the center of directing the ball where he wanted it to go. Eren was just the power behind the kicks, the aggressor on the field.

After conditioning, the group changed into clothes that weren't drenched with sweat and covered in grass, and hopped in their cars to head to _Swively's_ for milkshakes.

"Ya know," Marco started off, taking a sip of his special concoction, "I think this defeats the purpose of exercising."

Eren laughed, shrugging his shoulders as he took another long sip of his vanilla milkshake. Sometimes when he came to _Swively's_ , he'd go all out and mix a bunch of flavors, but today he just wanted to keep it simple.

The diner was slightly crowded, as it always was on Wednesdays. Eren and the rest of the group were sitting together. They had to push tables together to accommodate them all, but no one minded.

"It's only the second week, and I'm already ready to graduate." Sasha said dramatically.

Connie was sitting across from her, eyes shut tight with a hand on his forehead. "Yeah. I feel the same way. Fuck, brain freeze. Shit shit shit."

"Try putting your thumb on the roof of your mouth." Jean said, "I heard that works."

Connie did, and his eyes widened after a moment's time, and he smiled.

"It worked!"

Mikasa rolled her eyes. She was sitting next to Annie, across from Eren.

"The first football game is Friday," Annie said, drinking her chocolate shake. "Are you guys going?"

"Hell yeah." Connie said. "We're seniors, so we finally get to get in free. And of course we have to go support our babies."

Marco laughed. "We call them the babies, and they're the biggest out of all of us."

Ymir interrupted. "What are we doing afterwards?"

Mikasa looked over. "Party at your house?"

Ymir laughed loudly, catching the attention of other patrons, not that she cared. "Good one, Mikasa. All of you can't fit in that shoebox apartment. Plus, Ilse wouldn't even let me try."

"Krista's been to your place." Eren pointed out. "Yet, you haven't invited any of us."

"Yeah!" Jean added on.

Ymir took another sip of her shake, and placed the glass back on the table. "Okay, first of all, I'm not trying to date any of you. Second of all, I don't want all of you jack asses at my place anyway."

"What's wrong with us co-" Connie was going to finish that comment, but then he placed a hand to his forehead again.

"Fuck, brain freeze. Shit."

Marco laughed so hard, some of his shake came out of his nose. Jean cackled, Eren snorted, and Sasha, Mikasa, and Annie covered their faces.

Ymir licked her lips. "This. _This_ is my reason exactly."

There was more joking around and a little horse playing before Marco officially called it off.

"It's going on six o'clock," he said, checking his phone. "I need to get home and do some homework."

"Okay mom." Connie said.

There was a little bit more conversation before a busboy came up with a black tray to start collecting glasses.

"Thanks for coming to _Swively's_. Come see us again!"

Eren had been checking his phone when the busboy came up, but when he heard the voice, it sounded oddly familiar.

He immediately looked up and his eyes widened.

Mikasa beat him to the punch.

"Hey, Farlan, right?"

Farlan stared, wide eyed as Eren, earpiece in his ear, with the tacky light blue _Swively's_ apron on over a white shirt and khakis.

"Oh, Mikasa and Eren, right?" He said, smiling. "How are you two?"

"Fine." Eren said. Mikasa nodded along. Farlan nodded.

"Hi, I'm Jean." Jean said, extending a hand. Farlan extended his free hand and shook it.

"Nice to meet you."

"We're Eren and Mikasa's caretakers." Connie said. "Feel free to contact any one of us if they cause too much trouble."

Everyone laughed.

"So, this is where you work?" Eren said. He really hoped he didn't sound condescending.

"For now." Farlan said shyly, smirking. "It's just an in-between job."

Eren nodded. "Cool cool."

He wanted to ask who the hell pulled up their picket fence, but then and there probably wasn't the time for that.

"Well, I'm going to get back to work." He said, picking up their empty glasses. "All of you have a good night."

Then he was off in a rush, with a smile and an introduction at the next table.

When the group was outside, Sasha spoke first.

"That's your new neighbor?"

"One of them." Mikasa said, checking her phone.

"He's pretty cute." She said, smirking.

Connie looked at her and squinted.

"I bet it's the hair." He said out loud. Everyone looked at him and laughed. Marco was in poor shape, laughing harder than anyone else.

"It's because," he started, wheezing with laughter between words, "you don't have any…your…hair..."

Connie sighed. "Shut the fuck up Bodt."

888

The ride home with Jean was fun. There was music blasting, M83 to be exact, and Mikasa was actually engaging in conversation with him.

It made Eren feel at ease.

When they walked through the front door, Eren immediately felt a wave of tiredness hit him.

"I have homework." He groaned, taking off his shoes.

Mikasa was doing the same, and spoke. "Me too. English essay. What about you?"

Eren cursed under his breath. "Stats homework."

Mikasa looked at him. "Your worst subject."

"You know," Eren said, walking towards the kitchen, "It's a little sad that it hasn't even been two full weeks of school, and I already have a 'worst class.'"

Carla was over the stove, a sight that always made Eren feel comfortable, and a phone was nudged between her shoulder and ear. She turned around and grinned at them as she continued her conversation.

"Sounds like it's work." Mikasa said quietly. "Here, I'll fill up your bottle for you."

Eren nodded and told her thanks as he pulled his water bottle out of his gym bag. He could fill up his own bottle, but it was special water that had to be made.

After every soccer practice, Eren and Mikasa would cut up cucumbers and lemon and put it in their water. It was Marco who had originally told them about it, and Eren had responded with something like 'that sounds awful.'

But then he tried it, and then Mikasa tried it, and now it was a part of their regular lives.

Eren took a quick shower, washing away the accumulated dirt of the day, and hastily washed his hair. Mikasa was right; it needed to be cut.

When he was out and dressed, he walked back to the kitchen. Carla was no longer on the phone, and dinner was almost done.

Eren walked over to the island where Mikasa was sitting, sipping on her 'veggie water' (as Carla called it), and he grabbed his own bottle, taking a quick sip.

"You two hungry?" Carla asked.

"Not really." Eren said. "We went for milkshakes after conditioning."

Carla shrugged, turning around and placing a small dish on the island.

"That's fine. We're just having pasta bake and green salad tonight."

Eren and Mikasa decided to eat the salad, and instead of eating at the table, everyone stayed at the island.

Eren really hadn't talked to his mother since yesterday. He figured he should apologize at some point in time, but he wasn't sure how to go about it. First, he would apologize for cursing. He really tried not to do that in front of his mother, much less _at_ her. Then, he would apologize for getting detention in the first place. He should do a better job of watching his mouth.

"So, Eren." Carla said, taking a bite of her salad.

"Yeah?"

"I was checking your grades online…"

Mikasa sighed.

Eren gulped.

"Of course, school just started, but you already have a C in Statistics."

At the mention of 'Statistics' Eren's heart dropped. He forgot about his homework. He was really looking forward to going to his room and lying down.

"Well, I don't want you to fall behind whatsoever this year." She continued. "Senior year is the time where you need to be worried about national testing and college applications. You don't want a class holding you down."

"Yeah." Eren said.

"So, I was talking to Isabel…"

"Oh, here we go." He said, lifting his hands in defeat.

"Let me guess," Mikasa stated, "she knows someone who can tutor Eren? Or she can tutor him herself?"

Carla laughed slightly. "Good guess. She actually doesn't know the first thing about Statistics, but Levi does."

Mikasa's eyes widened.

"No." Eren stated quickly. "No. No, I'm okay."

"I already told Isabel about how rude Levi was to you when you mowed their lawn. She said that she would have a serious talk to him about that, but not to take it personally. Apparently, that's how he is with everyone."

"Mom, no."

"Levi is actually an accountant." Carla said in a happy tone. "He didn't tell that little tidbit of information when he was over here. How odd. Anyway, he's really good with Statistics, and Isabel was going to talk to him about tutoring you twice a week."

Eren felt like he was talking to a brick wall.

"No. Mom, the guy hates me!"

Carla looked up. "He does not! I think he's just picky about certain things. He was the one that had the picket fence removed. Isabel said something about it not being straight…"

Eren threw his hands up again. "Unbelievable."

"I know right!" Carla added. "I didn't think anyone was allowed to do that. The home owners association will probably be getting a notice about that soon."

"That's not what I me-, Eren broke off. "Mom, seriously, can you just give me some time? It hasn't even been two weeks. Okay, I'll try harder. Just…don't."

Carla studied him for a moment; Eren felt like he was fighting a losing battle.

Mikasa was flicking her eyes between the two.

Carla sighed. "I'll give you two more weeks. By week four, if I don't see improvement, you'll be getting a tutor."

"Levi specifically." Mikasa added with a smirk behind her water bottle.

Eren squinted. "Mikasa thinks Levi's hot!"

Mikasa slammed her water bottle down on the island. "I'm going to kill you!"

Carla burst into laughter. "Oh, oh my god! You too?"

Mikasa ceased her actions in getting ready to strangle Eren and looked at Carla.

"What do you mean 'you too'?"

Carla was still giggling. "I mean, Levi is pretty handsome."

Mikasa smirked. "Yeah he is."

Eren closed his eyes and cursed under his breath.

"Un-fucking-believable."


	4. Chapter 4

Friday night lights. Eren could say he missed these. The band was loud, the crowd was loud, and so was Eren himself. There were blurs of dark greens and white and gold streamers everywhere.

It was the first football game of the season, and their whole group of friends was there to support their two babies.

Connie had made a sign that said 'Oh, Reiner, you too fine, you too fine to be a line-backer!', and Jean made a sign for Bert that said 'Bert- **hold** that defense!'

Mikasa was standing next to Annie, not part of the number of people that were cheering loudly, but she was clapping. They were in the front of the student section, because those were the best seats, and Ymir always made sure they got there early because 'I'm not sitting behind a bunch of sweaty teens that forgot what deodorant was.'

Sometimes, Ymir liked to act like she was like…sixty years old.

The Trost Titan football team was playing a decent school. They were okay, but everyone knew that Trost was better than okay. They were pretty great, but had never made it past regionals.

Reiner had always said that they were cursed, that regionals was their home and they weren't meant to leave it. He was also high when he said that, so Eren didn't take it seriously, as he too was high.

Sasha was taking picture of Connie holding up the sign and cheering, probably to add to her senior scrapbook at the end of the year.

"Those are the best signs." Marco said, laughing. Eren laughed and nodded. They were the corniest signs and sayings he had ever seen, but Reiner and Bert wouldn't want it any other way.

Mina was standing next to Marco, cheering along with Krista.

The night was a haze of lights, cheers, and baby powder. Trost won the game by a landslide, making the opening of the season a good one. Reiner took off his helmet and ran towards the student section of the bleachers, pumping his fists and cheering.

He pointed at Connie specifically, since he had the sign, and laughed. Bert was a distance off, laughing and smiling sheepishly, eyeing Jean's sign and shaking his head.

When the team started to walk away, Reiner put a hand on Bert's shoulder. To anyone else that didn't know, it may have just looked like a teammate gesture, but Eren knew better, as did the rest of their friends because they were meeting each other's eyes knowingly.

Krista smiled. "They're so cute."

888

Eren was stuck between not giving a fuck and still wanting to try when it came to Statistics. And it was only week three.

It was a bad Monday. The weather was nice and cloudy and windy, promising of a storm later on. Everyone seemed to be in some kind of grouchy mood or another. Plus, it was a Monday.

Tryouts were this week, and hopefully the weather would be cleared up by Wednesday. Even though Eren had a guaranteed spot, he wanted to see who would make it and who wouldn't.

He hoped Hanji would only allow the absolute best of the best on varsity. Not that she slacked on pickings before, but Eren was right along with Connie on the thought that they _had_ to make it to state, and win.

That meant they would (if they made it that far) eventually play Sina High again, and Eren desperately wanted to avoid a repeat of last year.

"Marco and Mina finally tied the knot."

Eren looked up from his bell work. He told his mom he would try to do better in Stats, that didn't necessarily mean the results would be better. He could only attempt.

"Finally." He sighed, clicking his tongue. "I think Mina still…"

"Holds it against you?" Jean finished, writing and smirking. "Anyone could tell that from the death looks she sends you."

"Yes!" Eren hissed. "Every day at lunch when we walk up to the table, she could be in the middle of a conversation, or laughing about something, but when she sees me, she stops, frowns, and looks away like I killed her pet."

Jean snickered, then broke into a full on laugh. His cackles were always contagious, and soon, Eren found himself laughing too, although he didn't know at what.

"What the hell's funny?" He finally asked.

Jean kept laughing, starting to wheeze from the loss of air. "I-I want to make a perverted joke so bad, but you'll probably punch me!"

Eren nodded. "Probably. Say it anyway."

Jean's eyes were watery, and his face was red. Eren could tell that whatever he was about to say was indeed perverse.

"It's just that…you said…" Jean took a deep breath, "you said 'like I killed her pet', and I started laughing because…because…"

Jean broke into full laughter again, gaining the attention of the few students in the quiet classroom, and a judgmental gaze from the teacher as well.

"Jean, just say it." Eren said, knowing exactly where this was going. His own perverted mind could put two-and-two together. Plus, he wanted everyone to stop looking at them.

"Technically, you did kill…" Jean wheezed again, "holy shit. Okay, fuck, okay. You did kill her favorite kitten!"

Eren immediately punched Jean in the arm, making the cackling teen fall out of his chair, and Eren bury his face in his hands, desperately trying not to laugh at the terrible joke.

"Jean," He said between fingers, "you suck."

Finally, Mr. Moore quieted their antics, saying that they were 'disrupting others that are trying to work', and 'if you hate this class, then switch.'

Eren wanted to retort with something like 'I'm stuck in here for the semester smart one', but he promised Carla no more screwing around.

Jean got back in his chair a few seconds later, laughing silently, face still red.

Eren looked over at him, shaking his head.

"You're an idiot." He said. "Such a fucking idiot."

"Hey, easy there," Jean responded, finally calming down. "We all know it was a drunken mistake."

"Everybody but fucking Mina Carolina." Eren said, rolling his eyes. He had given up on his bell work. "I swear, she acts like everything is my fault."

"Well," Jean said, starting back on his work, "you know she's been crushing on you since middle school. Alcohol only makes you more honest, so the fact that you two hooked up only means one thing."

Eren closed his eyes.

"You've both been wanting to fuck each other, but neither of you had the balls to be up front about it."

"Shut up, horse face." Eren said, making Jean sigh. "We were both drunk, raging with hormones, and the music was fitting. Mina's cute, I'm alright looking. We both wanted to."

"I understand that." Jean said, putting down his pencil to look at Eren, "but the reason she's so bitter is because she wanted something else to happen between you two other than a one night stand."

Eren shook his head. "And that's not what needed to happen. Look, I apologized to her sincerely. I didn't mean for anyone's feelings to get hurt, and we both agreed on the fact that everything was consented. But come on, that was fucking first semester of junior year, she needs to let that go. Especially if she's dating Marco."

Jean nodded. "Yeah, and Marco knows about that night just like the rest of us, but he still really likes her."

The teacher had finally moved to the front of the class to go over the bell work. Truthfully, the problem itself didn't take a full twenty minutes to do, but their teacher would always give them that long. Eren just thought he was trying to kill time.

"Alright," Mr. Moore said, clapping his hands together. "Mr. Kirstein, explain to us how you did this problem."

Eren covered his mouth with a hand and laughed silently. Jean cursed in a whisper, and started to explain his steps to the problem he didn't finish.

Eren felt glad that he wouldn't be the only one failing this class.

888

When the school day ended, Eren walked to the parking lot with Jean. Mikasa was already standing by his car, and Annie was with her.

"I swear you two are joined at the hip." Jean said, looking directly at Mikasa while he said it.

Eren looked between the two of them. Jean had been doing better about talking to her since school started, but the conversations were still kind of tense, at least when he was around.

"Are we doing anything after try-outs Wednesday?" Annie asked Jean. Jean threw his book bag in the back seat and looked up as if he was seriously contemplating it.

"Anything like what?"

"Party at your house?" Eren suggested with an impish grin. Jean laughed.

"No. No parties until mom's out of town."

"Why don't we go over Reiner's?" Mikasa asked, looking at her phone. "It could be a pizza night."

"Hell, it could be a sleepover." Jean said, nodding. "Good idea, Mika. I'll text Reiner and ask."

Annie covered her hand with her mouth and laughed. Eren hung his head in shame.

"Text you later, _Mika_." Annie said in Mikasa's ear, making the other laugh.

"Shut the hell up."

On their way home, they discussed conditioning, and what try-outs would be like.

"Mina's looking good." Mikasa stated.

"Yeah." Jean agreed. "You know, Marco and Mina have been having little dates at the park to play soccer together. How fucking corny is that?"

"At least he's dedicated to her." Mikasa added, her voice holding a certain tone to it that attracted both boy's attention.

There was a short silence after that. Jean had quickly turned his head to look at Mikasa, and Eren's eyes were shifting between the two.

"What's that supposed to mean?" Jean asked.

"Hey, guys, not now, please." Eren interrupted. He didn't want to witness this. They had been doing so well lately.

"It doesn't mean anything." Mikasa said, shrugging her shoulders. "All I'm saying is it's nice that Marco cares about her enough to help her with soccer."

Jean nodded tightly. "Alright."

The remainder of the ride was spent in silence, and Eren practically jumped out the car when Jean haphazardly pulled into their driveway.

"Bye, Jean." Eren said, waving.

"I'll text you later, Jaeger." Jean said, pulling out.

Once he pulled away, Eren looked at the back of Mikasa's head while she unlocked the front door.

"Why?"

"Junior Miranda." Mikasa said, then stepped into the house.

Eren's eyes widened. How did Mikasa know about that?

He went in after her, saying a quick hello to his mother whom was sitting on the couch polishing her toenails. He followed Mikasa down the hall and put his foot in her bedroom door so she couldn't close it.

"How do you know about that?" Eren asked.

"She's telling everyone. I guess she considers it an accomplishment." Mikasa said, looking him dead in the eyes.

Eren studied her carefully. She looked bored, almost tired. Her tone of voice was less than pleased.

"Okay, but what does it matter to you?" Eren asked.

Mikasa scoffed and pushed the door harder, making Eren move his foot. Once the door slammed closed, Carla called down the hallway.

"Hey, who is slamming doors?"

Eren walked back down the hall towards the living room. Carla was still sitting on the couch with concerned eyes.

"Is Mikasa okay?"

Eren sighed. "I think it's boy problems."

Carla's nose crinkled. "Boy problems? What boy?"

Eren shrugged. "Jean, I think."

888

 **Jeannyboy** \- **10:15 pm**

' _Why is she mad at me?'_

Eren was still working on homework, unfortunately, when Jean texted him. It was late, he was tired, and it was still drizzling outside. He could just not text back and pretend that he was asleep, but he wouldn't do that to Jean.

 **Jaegerbomb – 10:17 pm**

' _Apparently, Junior Miranda's been telling ppl you two fucked. Mikasa heard.'_

 **Jeannyboy – 10:20 pm**

' _Okay, look. I gotta tell you something, promise you won't get mad.'_

Eren looked at the message with furrowed eyebrows. He put his pencil down on his messy desk to reply.

 **Jaegerbomb – 10:22 pm**

' _Tell me.'_

It took Jean a while to text back, so Eren continued with his homework. It was English. He was just answering a packet of questions over two poems they read in class earlier that day. It wasn't due until Wednesday, but he wanted to get it over with now.

 **Jeannyboy – 10:26 pm**

' _So I'm trying to talk to Mikasa again and she knows that but I guess she didn't tell you because she doesn't want you to know or whatever. But I told her that I still really cared about her and that I wanted things to work out between us, and she said she would have to think about it. That was Saturday night. So I guess today she found out about what I did with Junior Miranda last weekend and she's pissed and I don't know how to explain to her that it meant nothing.'_

 **Jaegerbomb – 10:32 pm**

' _Okay, first, fuck you for not telling me. Fuck both of you. Second, you gotta realize that this is the same shit that messed you guys up the first time, but with a different girl. And you two were actually together at the time, so she prolly feels like it's a repeat of junior year. You can't blame her.'_

 **Jeannyboy – 10:40 pm**

' _It was just sex! It meant nothing to me! I don't know how to get that through to Mikasa and I don't wanna try until I know for sure what to say.'_

Eren sighed and finished his last question. He left the homework on his desk since he didn't have English class tomorrow, and he got up from his desk.

He needed to shower, and quite frankly, he was starting to get a head ache. Once he was fully naked and had his towel wrapped around his lower half, he text Jean back.

 **Jaegerbomb – 10:43 pm**

' _Maybe it's not 'just sex' to some people, Jean. Maybe things like that mean more to Mikasa.'_

He threw his phone on his bed and left his room to take a shower. He and Mikasa already had 'the talk.' They had it after this entire situation blew up in the first place.

While Eren was no virgin, he understood that intimacy like that was to be valued. Sometimes he wondered if he depreciated the value of his own virginity, and let it go too soon. But it wasn't like it was something he could change, so he didn't dwell on that fact.

Mikasa, however, hadn't given it up to anyone yet. She told Eren, in very few words and in a hushed conversation on the carpeted floor of her bedroom, that she wanted it to be with someone she cared about deeply.

Eren totally agreed, although he didn't want to think about anyone taking his sister's virginity. He also knew that, somewhere deep down, Mikasa was banking on Jean to be the one.

But shit happens, and people make mistakes, and she wasn't banking on that anymore.

Eren didn't get out of the shower till eleven o'clock, and he hurriedly dried off and put on a pair of boxers before turning soft music on his speakers and getting under the covers.

 **Jeannyboy – 10:45 pm**

' _I know that. But I'm single! It's not like I knew I was going to text her a week later and ask that we try things out again.'_

 **Jaegerbomb – 11:05 pm**

' _I'm not having this convo with you over text.'_

 **Jeannyboy – 11:12 pm**

' _Fine. We'll talk about it Wednesday night. Reiner said it was cool if we all slept over his place.'_

 **Jaegerbomb – 11:13 pm**

' _OK, cool. Well I'm going to bed now. I'll see you in the morning.'_

 **Jeannyboy – 11:15 pm**

' _Night, Jaeger.'_

888

When Jean picked them up the next morning, the car ride was completely silent. Jean looked sleep deprived, Mikasa was looking out the window, and Eren just looked.

Everything Jean was telling him about last night wasn't making any sense? Mikasa had no interest in him anymore, so why was did his hook-up with Miranda concern her?

The school ticked by slowly, as it always did when Eren was anticipating something. Today was try-outs. Everyone was looking good, and he felt confident in their upcoming line-up.

Try-outs were a tad bit more intense that conditioning. Hanji gave everyone bigger amounts of everything to do. Everyone started the try-outs with a lap, and try-outs would end with a lap. That was something they didn't have to do at conditioning.

Cone drills were long and by the time Eren was done, his legs were quivering. If he was struggling, he could only imagine how the underclassmen were doing.

The sky was clear with not a cloud in sight, granting them no reprieve from the heat. Eren was panting by the time he was done with passes. How much longer?

"Alright!" Hanji called out. "That's enough. We're done here. Everyone take a lap!"

There were collective groans, and Eren shook his head while he pushed his worn legs to finish a lap. Jean was a few feet behind him, cursing about the weather. Connie was right along with him.

"There's not…a single…fucking…cloud!" Connie yelled.

Marco was some distance behind them. He was having just as hard of a time.

Eren's chest was hurting from the constant huffing he was doing for nearly an hour. But activity like this built stamina, and everyone could use some more of that. He knew that the people whose spots were guaranteed would be the key players in each game, which meant no bench time. They needed to be able to stay on their feet for an entire game, running back and forth.

As difficult as that sounded, Eren was ready for it.

When they were done with their lap, Connie lowered himself on the track and laid out. Jean bent over with his hands on his knees. Marco put his hands on his hips and hung his head.

The girls were in no better shape. Sasha was weeping, Annie and Ymir were leaning on each other, and Mikasa was standing straight with her arms locked behind her head.

This was hard for them.

Eren walked over to the gate and picked up his water bottle. He squeezed a nice amount of it on his face and relished on the feeling of cool water on his hot skin. The back of his neck was even worse. He really needed to cut his hair.

"We're going home and taking showers before we go to Reiner's." Mikasa said, walking up to get her bottle as well.

"Is Jean picking us back up?"

"I don't know. I was hoping you'd ask him." Mikasa said, taking a sip.

Eren huffed. "We gotta talk about…everything." He said.

Mikasa's expression changed. Her lips turned downward at the corners and she was looking at the ground as she nodded.

"I guess you want an explanation."

"The fuck do you think?" Eren snapped. He didn't mean to. It was hot, he was hungry, tired, sore, and more than ready to shower and collapse on Reiner's living room floor with pizza in his mouth.

Mikasa shrugged. "I didn't want to tell you at first."

Eren frowned. "Well, you should have. We don't keep things from each other."

Just then, Marco walked up, still huffing.

"The underclassmen look awful." He said.

Annie and Ymir walked up as well. Ymir spoke first. "They've already flat lined. Look."

Everyone turned around and saw the track and part of the field littered with children.

"This is carnage." Marco said with sad eyes.

"Fuck." Connie huffed, running up to them. "I can't feel my ass."

"What does your ass have to do with anything?" Annie asked. Even her voiced seemed a little tired.

"I'm numb all over!"

Jean trudged over, hands on his hips. "I'll meet you guys at Reiner's later. I think I'm gonna go home and take a soak before I come over."

Eren walked up to him. "Are you still taking and picking me and Mikasa up?"

Jean nodded, albeit slowly. "Yeah. Of course."

"Okay." Eren turned around and caught Mikasa's eyes. "Let's go."

The walk back to the silver corvette was painful. The soreness was starting to kick in for all three of them.

The ride back home was just as silent as the one to school. Eren didn't even care this time around.

When Jean dropped them off at home, he told them to give him at least two hours before he'd come back over. They agreed with no argument, and both sighed at the cool air conditioning that hit their faces as they walked through the front door.

"How about I use mom's tub and you can use the shower? That way we can both have hot water." Mikasa suggested. Eren agreed through a mumble.

Carla wasn't home. They knew that because the TV wasn't on, and the kitchen light was off. Eren remembered telling her that they'd be sleeping over at Reiner's on his way out the house this morning, but she was on the phone and only waved him off.

"Hey," Eren called out to Mikasa. She had started walking down the hall and Eren was still by the front door.

She turned around and looked at him.

"I didn't mean to snap at you earlier." He said. "I was just hot and irritated."

Mikasa shrugged. She was doing that a lot lately. "I didn't take it personal."

Eren nodded. "Okay. We'll talk later. You can go ahead and fill up the tub."

She turned around and continued walking without a word. Eren had a feeling that the night wasn't about to be as good as he anticipated.

888

Thank fuck for music.

Not only was it the most powerful thing on the planet besides money and love, it provided a great distraction.

The car ride would have been silent as dead lambs if Jean didn't have music blaring. The music selection was a bit more aggressive today, a little angry, probably suiting Jean's mood perfectly.

Eren shifted in the back seat, his duffle bag on top of Jean's. Mikasa was in the passenger, looking out her window with dull eyes.

When they pulled into Reiner's neighborhood, Eren mentally decided that tonight was going to be a good night no matter what and everything could be dealt with another time.

He saw everyone else's car already parked in the driveway, crookedly. Jean parked in front of Reiner's house, being careful not to block the mailbox.

They got out, and Eren took a deep breath. Reiner lived in a nice neighborhood. Everyone had a two story house here, and there was a community pool at the end of the cul-de-sac.

When the trio reached the front door, they could already hear yelling inside.

Jean shook his head and didn't bother ringing the doorbell. The door was unlocked and they walked right in.

"Sup fuckers." He called out, flinging his duffle bag on the ground by the door.

Sasha came running down the hallway, pajama shorts on with mismatched socks and a cookie in her hand.

"Mario Kart."

Eren looked at Mikasa, and they both smirked.

It was about to go down.

888

It was brutality at its finest.

They say that Mario Kart taught you who your real friends were, but Eren disagreed. Mario Kart taught you that no one was to be trusted. Not even your own sister.

"Block me one more fucking time Marco and I'll make sure you never see your family again!" Ymir growled.

"Oh yea?" Marco asked, moving his arms as if he was really driving and sweating. "Then what? Krista will never accept you if you kill me."

Krista yelled. "Hey! Shut up! I can't focus."

Connie added on. "If one of you fuckers doesn't let me get out of eighth place, ain't nobody gonna have a family."

Reiner was in tears. This is why he loved sleepovers. Bert was laughing too, but quietly. He didn't want to piss anyone else off. Everyone was laughing at the current group, but Eren was still bitter with Mikasa.

"I can't believe you." He said to her in a low voice. Mikasa laughed.

"Win some, lose some."

The stupid theme music that alerted the players that they were on their last lap came on. That's when all the noise started.

Sasha was cheering Connie on. Reiner was just making noise, cheering for everyone collectively but instigating more drama at the same time.

Eren called out. "Hold it down Marco!"

Marco was in first place, and since he was an angel, the grace of God should allow him to stay in first place.

But the devil was unrelenting.

It was always heard before it was seen. The familiar sound like a plane was passing overhead. Marco started screaming, begging the kart to let him drive a few more feet to the finish line.

"Go Marco!" Jean yelled.

"I'm trying, I'm trying! I can't, I won't make it!" He cried.

Connie had stopped playing all together. He couldn't get out of eighth place, and he set his controller down on the ground and started sipping his juice.

Ymir, Krista, and Marco were still in it.

They were all yelling then, hoping Marco could make it before the spiky blue shell descended and blew up his kart and hopes and dreams and trust in his friends.

"No, god please don't!"

It was too late.

Mario, whom Marco was using as a character, cried out as the blue shell dropped on him like Reiner on a football player, lifting him into the air to do a perfect 360, and land back on the ground with no items, pride, or joy.

Karts whizzed past him, crossing the finish line in a fluster. Marco finished sixth place, whining as he crossed the finish line.

"Who did this to me?" He asked hopelessly. "Who!?"

Ymir was dying of laughter. "I may hate you right now Marco, but I didn't do it. It must have been one of the other characters."

Marco seemed resolved to accept that as an answer, but then, Krista burst out into high pitched laughter and her face was red.

Reiner stared, wide eyed and smiling. "One angel betraying another."

"It's like Lucifer's descent to Hell all over again." Jean whispered with wide eyes.

"Krista!" Marco yelled, a broken smile on his face. "I trusted you."

Krista, whom had finished first with Princess Peach as her character, smiled and nodded. "In this world, there are no such things as friends."

Everyone laughed and agreed. The living room was a disaster. There were pillows everywhere. Jean and taken off his shirt and thrown it randomly because he was getting to hot and 'driving with a shirt on isn't fucking working for me right now.'

"We need to break on this for a while." Annie said.

"Easy for you to say," Sasha retorted. "You got first place!"

Just then, the doorbell rang, and Reiner hopped up. "Coming!" He yelled. "That must be the pizza. Everybody, pay up."

Everyone started pulling dollars out of their pockets and handing them to Reiner. They decided to all pitch in for the feast of pizza they were about to partake in.

"What if I'm broke?" Connie asked, still lying on the floor. He seemed a little more down than usual, and not just because of Mario Kart.

Reiner shrugged. "It's okay. I got you."

"What if _I'm_ broke?" Jean asked as well.

Everyone went silent and stared at him in annoyance.

Marco, who was still in a snippy mood, spoke first.

"Pay for the fucking pizza, Jean, with your rich ass."

Everyone laughed. Ymir practically hollered. Mikasa high-fived Marco, and Eren clapped.

Reiner dried his eyes with the bottom of his t-shirt. "You heard Father Bodt."

Jean handed the money over, disbelief in his eyes concerning Marco. "I thought we were best friends."

Krista was still giggling. "I think all of us are going to be in a tight spot with each other after tonight."

Mikasa turned to Eren. "You heard that?"

Eren smirked. "I'm getting a rematch."

888

It was ten o'clock that they decided to put away the video games and find a movie to watch.

"We still have school tomorrow, you guys." Marco said, sitting crossed-legged on the floor, drinking his soda.

"Fuck school." Connie groaned, lying on his stomach in front of the TV with a pillow underneath. "I'm don't even gonna go tomorrow."

Eren was back on the couch, Annie to his left, and Mikasa to his right. Jean was lying next to Marco. Krista and Ymir were sitting in front of Mikasa's feet. Sasha was sitting next to Connie, and Bert and Reiner were in the recliner under a blanket.

"You two are gonna break that chair." Annie said.

"If I hear any smacking noises during this movie, I swear." Jean warned. Everyone laughed, and Bert blushed.

"Come on, Jean." Reiner cooed. "We all know noises make horses frisky."

Eren cackled. Jean glared.

"What are we watching?" Ymir asked, running a hand unconsciously through Krista's long, blonde hair.

"I was thinking we could watch something gross." Reiner said.

Connie was the one manning the laptop, which was connected to the television. "You heard that, Jean. Go stand in front of the TV so everyone can see."

The whole room laughed, even Jean, who was mere seconds away from punching Connie across the room.

"No, but fuck, seriously, The Human Centipede 2?"

There was a compiled answer of groans, some in excitement, some in opposition.

"Is it going to give me nightmares?" Marco asked. He wasn't too fond of scary or gory movies.

"I don't know." Reiner responded, scratching the back of his head. "Probably."

"Don't worry, Marco." Sasha reassured him. "We'll protect you."

"I watched the first one." Jean stated, tuning around to face Eren. "I was at Jaeger's house. Remember, Eren?"

Eren laughed. "Fuck yes. I swore I wasn't going to go on vacation after that."

Mikasa looked at Eren. "Is that when there was all that screaming coming from the living room?"

"Yes." They answered simultaneously.

"So, Human Centipede it is." Connie said, clicking on the movie. Krista stood up to turn the lights out, so the only light source was the TV and the glow from everyone's phone.

It was dead silence, and just as the movie was getting ready to start, the doorbell rang.

They all screamed.

Okay, not all of them. Annie, Ymir, and Mikasa were alright.

"You guys are ridiculous." Jean huffed. Connie punched his arm.

"You yelled too!"

"Who's here this time of night?" Reiner asked, scuffling his feet across the wooden floor. He disappeared around the corner, and Connie paused the movie so they could properly start when he got back.

There was a squeak as the door opened, and a gasp before they all heard Reiner scream…

"Coconut!"

Eren's eyes widened.

"Army!" Krista squealed, jumping back up to run around the corner.

Reiner and Krista appeared right back around the corner with a sheepish looking Armin in between them.

"Armin!" Sasha yelled.

Annie was still facing the television, smirking slightly.

Mikasa smiled. "Here. Come sit in front of Annie."

Armin nodded. "Okay. Hey guys."

"Sup Arleto." Ymir said, waving a hand. "Long time, no fucking see."

"Blame school." He said, running a hand through his hair. He set his duffle bag down by the opening.

"How does it feel to be the president of the chess club and senior class?" Sasha asked in a reporter's voice.

"It's tiresome, but I enjoy it still."

Reiner climbed back in the recliner with Bert. "Well, get comfortable. Take off your shoes. There's pizza in the kitchen. Eren managed to not eat all of it. We're getting ready to watch the second Human Centipede movie."

Armin's blue eyes squinted. "I watched that before."

Marco gasped. "Armin! When?"

"Well, SGA had a sleepover this past weekend at our sponsor's house, and he didn't mind us watching it."

Eren was staring directly at the black TV screen.

"Well, don't spoil anything for us," Connie said, pressing the play button again. "Wait! Are there any naked chicks in this movie?"

Sasha pushed him so that he rolled over on Jean, and everyone started laughing. Insults and less than kind statements started getting passed among the three, and Eren was so focused on them that he _almost_ didn't here Armin call his name.

Almost.

"Hey, Eren."

Eren looked at him, hoping his expression didn't look like how he felt. "Yeah?"

Armin shrank back a little, forced smirk still on his face. "Nothing. I just wanted to say hey."

Eren nodded. "Hey."

Krista shushed everyone. "It's starting!"

888

"It was all a fucking dream!?" Jean yelled. Eren covered his face in his hands, as he did plenty other times that night to shield himself from the hell and awfulness that was The Human Centipede 2.

Annie sighed, eyes a little wide. "Wow. That was…really fucking terrible."

Marco squealed. "That was a baby!"

Bert still had his hands over his eyes. Reiner laughed. "It's okay, babe. The credits are rolling now."

Bert moved his hand away from his eyes, and Reiner pulled him forward for a kiss.

Ymir was laughing way too hard for someone who just watched about twenty people die. Connie and Sasha were smiling too.

"This was a shitty movie." Mikasa said.

"It was." Reiner agreed. "But you gotta give it A for imagination."

"That was a baby!" Marco yelled again.

Eren laughed. "That part was pretty bad."

Armin joined in. "Yeah, when I watched it at the other sleep over I had to leave the room at the scene with the toenails and teeth."

Eren just looked. Krista hummed in agreement. She was practically in Ymir's lap, shaking a little.

"Just think you guys," Reiner started, "that actually happened."

Everyone looked at him like there were horns growing from his eyeballs.

"No the fuck it didn't," Connie laughed. "Stop being dumb."

"I swore it said 'based on a true story.' Like Transformers."

"Oh my god." Eren said under his breath. "I'm going to get more pizza."

He stood up and padded across the living room to the kitchen while everyone argued with Reiner. Reiner had already boxed the remaining slices up and stuffed them in the refrigerator. Eren opened the fridge to pull a slice of Hawaiian out, and when he closed it, he almost jumped.

"Shit, Armin, you scared me." He said, turning around to get a paper towel and walking to the microwave.

"Sorry." He said.

That was all he said. He was still standing in the kitchen, fidgeting slightly. Eren closed the microwave and began heating up the pizza again.

"So," Armin started, "how have you been? How's mom?"

Eren shrugged. He was still facing the microwave. "Fine and she's fine."

Armin nodded curtly. "That's good. Are you liking your classes this year?"

"Barely." Eren answered, opening the microwave to take his sizzling pizza out.

"I know how you feel." Armin said, smacking his left hand on his left thigh. Eren knew that was something he always did when he was nervous.

"This year has been rough already."

Eren walked past him. "I'm sure it has, with all those classes you take."

Armin turned around and called after him. "Eren!"

The living room was still loud. It sounded like there was a pillow fight getting ready to start.

Eren turned around, and tried not to break a little when he saw Armin's hurt expression.

"Yeah?"

Armin sighed heavily. "Look, I know we've fallen off, okay? Everyone can tell, but I don't want things to stay that way."

Eren shook his head. "Armin, it's fine. You have a life outside of me, ya know."

"I know that." Armin answered, voice a little more stern. "You know that too."

"I do."

"So why are you acting this way?"

"Acting what way!?"

"You know how!"

"Oh, enlighten me, Mr. President!"

Armin pointed. "That! That's what I'm talking about."

Eren lowered his voice. His stomach no longer wanted that slice of pizza he heated up, but he was still holding it; the moisture from the damp paper towel warming his hand.

Neither one had noticed that the living room had gone quiet, and soon, Mikasa was around the corner and in the kitchen as well.

The tension was thick enough to cut with a knife, a butcher knife, and Mikasa spoke first.

"Why are you guys yelling?"

Eren shook his head. He felt too upset to be in the kitchen right then, so he set his slice of pizza on the counter and walked out.

He ignored the calls after him when he quickly walked through the living room and to the front door.

He walked out.

888

Eren had been sitting on the front porch for at least an hour. It had to be past twelve.

There was still noise from inside. They were probably just goofing around.

Reiner's porch was simple. One medium sized potted plant by the door, and two white rocking chairs for guests to sit in.

Eren was in the chair farthest away from the door, inhaling deeply and slowly.

The quiet, cool night air helped him calm himself a bit, and when he came back down to earth, he felt ashamed.

Mikasa was right in saying that he was being immature. For no reason should he have acted like that. He would need to apologize later to Armin, and to Reiner too. He didn't mean to disrupt anybody's good time.

The front door opened and squeaked when it was closed.

It was Mikasa.

She had on a tank top and pajama shorts, and here bare feet curled up as she walked on the cold stone.

She sat in the empty rocking chair and crossed her arms over her chest.

They were silent for a while, both listening to the chirping of frogs and crickets. There were stars in the sky, and the moon was half of itself.

"What are you thinking about?" Mikasa asked quietly.

Eren sighed, swallowed, and shook his head. "You…you remember when we were in elementary school, and Armin's grandpa took Armin, me, and you to the water park."

Mikasa sniffed. "Yes."

Eren laughed softly. "Remember that big ass water slide that I was so stoked to go down. I was so ready to ride it down that as soon as we got in the park, I headed straight for the stairs that would take me all the way up there. And you and Armin were a distance behind me, yelling at me about something, but I really wasn't paying attention. And when I climbed all the way to the top of the stairs, it was only to find out that the slide was closed."

Mikasa hummed and laughed. "You were so disappointed you cried."

Eren grinned. "I cried. And you stood to the side, shaking your head and telling me 'I told you so.' Armin actually walked up to me and hugged me."

Mikasa didn't say anything.

"You know what he said?"

"What?"

Eren was quiet for a moment, trying to gather himself together. "He said that whenever the slide did open, that we could come back together and go down it together."

Mikasa was silent.

"And I said," Eren continued, swallowing again, only this time his throat was hurting, "I asked him to promise me, and he did. And we shook on it. And he said something along the lines of 'we'll always go down it together.'"

Mikasa stopped looking at the dark sky and looked at the ground.

"I haven't thought about that in forever." Eren said, rocking in his chair slightly. "So ironic that I'd think of it now."

Mikasa inhaled. "You know, I'm sure talking to him will resolve a lot more issues than you'd think."

Eren shook his head. "I can't."

"Why the hell not?"

"Because!" Eren snapped, then lowered his voice. "Because. I don't want him to feel bad."

"He already feels bad. He's been feeling bad."

Eren looked at her. "How do you know?"

Mikasa looked dumfounded. "Wow, Eren."

Eren cringed at her tone. "What?"

Mikasa shook her head, and ran a hand through her long hair. "If there is anyone who knows anything about Armin, it's you. And you know how he is. You know he doesn't do well with separation."

"I know that!"

"Then you should know that he's feeling bad. He doesn't have to fucking scream it from the rooftops for me to know, for _all of us_ to know. It's written all over his damn face anytime you two are in the same vicinity."

Eren was silent. He couldn't talk in fear that he'd start crying, and that was embarrassing.

Mikasa continued. "Why can't you just be happy for him?" She asked sadly.

Eren shook his head from side to side continuously. He lifted his hands in helplessness and let them fall back to his lap. "You guys…all of you…you guys are all…"

He couldn't. He let out a small sigh and let his vision blur with tears. He didn't know if any actually fell, because Mikasa was in front of him in a heartbeat, wiping his eyes with her cold hands.

"Look, we don't have to talk about this now, okay? Another time. Let's just go back inside."

Eren sniffled and nodded his head. "I just wanna go to sleep."

"The boys get the living room, and the girls get the guest bedroom."

Eren nodded and stood up. They entered the house as quietly as possible, and Eren walked right by the living room without saying anything. He would lie down in the guest bedroom until the girls kicked him out.

888

Jean saw Eren walk by in his peripheral, with Mikasa trailing right behind him, but he didn't call out.

Everyone was playing UNO and telling stories in the meantime. He had already won a few rounds ago, so he was just sitting out, listening to everyone else.

Armin was still looking down, and Jean automatically felt annoyed. Leave it to Jaeger to mess up what was supposed to be a good night.

He wasn't entirely sure what was wrong with Armin and Eren, but the two of them had fallen off sometime at the tail end of junior year, and it all happened after Armin invited all of them over to his house with promises of pizza and cake that he had been accepted into the Ivy League college of Rochester.

Which was miles and miles away.

Jean could put two and two together, contrary to popular belief, and he knew Eren was unhappy with it, as he didn't really jump for joy like the rest of them did.

He didn't peg Jaeger to be the jealous type, not of his friends at least. Armin had worked hard for that acceptance all his life. Constantly studying, reading, and striving. For Eren to be so opposed to it was selfish on his part and Armin didn't deserve that.

"I gotta pee." Jean said. Reiner waved him away.

Jean felt something in his knees crack as he stood up, and he knew he was getting old. He walked to the opening and down the hallway towards the bathroom at the end as soon as Mikasa was exiting the guest bedroom.

"You do know it's girls in the guest room and guys in the living room, right?" He asked.

"Yes." Mikasa answered, and walked right past him.

Jean rolled his eyes. "Hey." He called out.

Mikasa turned around and stared at him blankly.

"We need to talk." He said. He was completely forgetting he had to take a leak.

Mikasa didn't answer. She just stared.

Jean hated when she did that. Sometimes he'd wish Mikasa gave him some kind of fucking answer instead of staring at him like he was an infectious disease, because even though that might answer a few questions of his, it didn't answer everything.

"Walk with me?" Jean asked, gesturing back down the hall.

"Where?" Mikasa asked.

"The backyard." Jean answered.

It took a moment, but Mikasa sighed and nodded. She didn't wait for Jean to walk with her. She turned around and starting heading for the direction of the back door.

The back door was past the kitchen, and Mikasa and Jean ignored the 'Hey, where are y'all going?' questions in suggestive voices as they walked through the living room.

Mikasa still didn't have shoes on, but Jean had on socks. He didn't know why he was noticing this. It didn't have anything to do with their upcoming conversation. Like, feet didn't have anything to do with shit. But he was looking at hers.

Mikasa opened the paneled glass door and walked out. Jean followed and closed the door quietly behind him.

Reiner's house had this nice wooden patio with perfect green grass to match. There was a row of flowers lining the grey wooden fence separating his yard from the neighbor's. Jean remembered when he was little and ignorant and would make fun of Reiner for his hobby of gardening. Someone slapped him for that, a nice whack on the back of the head, although he couldn't remember who.

He could take an educated guess, though.

Mikasa was wearing a navy blue tank top, and loose pajama shorts. They had yellow crescent moons on them. She was sitting on the edge of the patio, hands in her lap, obviously waiting for him to speak.

Jean cleared his throat and walked to sit beside her.

He practiced this. Last night, after he was done texting Eren, he went to his closet mirror and practiced his damn speech. He felt awfully foolish and basic, but he could not mess up here.

The sky was pitch black, and there were a few shimmering stars above them. He turned his head to look at Mikasa, who was staring straight ahead of her.

"I'm sorry." He bit out.

Mikasa turned her head to look at him with an annoyed expression.

"I'm an idiot, Mikasa. I'm sorry. Miranda was just…something to do!"

Mikasa shrugged and turned forward again. "It's whatever."

Jean shook his head. "It's not. Look, I was texting Eren last night, and he reminded me that this was oddly similar to junior year when…"

"When you couldn't keep anything in your pants?" Mikasa finished for him in question. Her tone was less than pleased.

Jean shrank back a little. "I cannot tell you sorry enough. It was stupid. I was stupid. Fuck, I'm still stupid! But I know how I feel about you, and I know I want things to work. When I text you and told you that I wanted to try again, I was serious."

Mikasa didn't say anything for a while, so Jean took that as his cue to keep talking.

"You know I've always liked you. Ever since we were kids, I've liked you. And when I finally got my chance, when you finally gave me a chance, I did something stupid and I blew it. I won't blame everything on the alcohol. It was me, Mikasa. I was stupid. I was in over my head."

Mikasa shook her head. "It's whatever, Jean. I'm not mad about that."

Jean stopped talking and his eyes were wide. "Well, then what _are_ you mad about?"

Mikasa turned to look at him, and Jean wanted to scoot over away from her cold peer.

Her eyes softened a little when she saw his confused expression. She let out a breath.

"I don't think you get it." She said quietly, shaking her head.

Jean gawked. "Get what?"

Mikasa was still shaking her head, and she stood up.

"Nothing, Jean. It's pointless."

Jean turned around and watched her walk back towards the door.

"I just freaking apologized!" Jean called out after her.

She didn't answer him. She opened the door and closed it none too gently behind her.

Jean was left sitting on the patio, more addled than he was before.

He turned back around and cursed. "Shit." He said sharply.

He gave up and laid flat on the patio, staring up at the sky again.

888

"Hey, Connie?"

Connie looked over his shoulder at Marco. "What's up?"

Marco had followed him in the kitchen to throw away all the trash the group accumulated throughout the night. Ymir was complaining that the soreness from soccer was finally kicking in, and she wanted to go to sleep. Krista had followed her back towards the guest bedroom, and through a series of yells, Ymir sent Eren down the hallway with the pillow he had been clutching and saying 'the room for penises is down the hall.'

Eventually Annie, Sasha, and Mikasa followed. No one had questioned Mikasa when she walked back in without Jean. They just left it alone.

Reiner and Bert moved back to Reiner's room, and he promised that, as the host, he would be up early to make breakfast before school.

Everyone told each other good night, and soon the lights were off in the house.

"Are you alright? You seem a little…" Marco broke off to find the right words, "not yourself."

Connie lifted his shoulders once and let them settle again. "Not really."

Marco tilted his head. "What do you mean by 'not really'?"

Connie shook his head rapidly. "It's nothing, Marco."

Connie was washing his hands in the sink, and Marco gave him a sad smile, even though he couldn't see it.

"Okay. If you say so. But I'm here if you need to talk, kay?"

Connie nodded. "Yeah."

Marco turned back around to head to the dark living room. He was using his phone as a flashlight to show him the way.

"Hey, freckles."

Marco turned back around. Connie was still facing the sink, but his hands were on the ledge.

"Yeah?"

"Thanks."

Marco smiled. "No problem."

888

The next morning was a series of 'who gets the shower first' and 'save me some pancakes.'

Despite the dramatics of last night, and the few hours of sleep everyone had gotten, the kitchen was bustling with energy. Reiner was already dressed, and had a tacky apron around his front that said 'Kiss the Cook' with an arrow pointing to his crotch.

Everyone had woken up in decent time to get ready for school and to sit down in the dining room for breakfast. Bert helped Reiner set the table, setting out a pitcher of orange juice and another one of milk on the table.

There was cantaloupe, strawberries, pancakes (plain and chocolate chip), and maple bacon.

"Your cooking skills have improved." Marco complimented with a stuffed mouth.

Reiner nodded. "Thank Sasha for the recipe to the pancakes."

Krista blew Sasha a kiss, which Sasha gratefully accepted. Ymir rolled her eyes.

"How is culinary going?" Armin asked. He was seated next to Jean, who was seated next to Marco, who was next to Eren.

Sasha smiled. "Amazing! We have a competition coming up next month. Apparently we also get to taste other people's food this year." Sasha confirmed her excitement for this with a rather sultry groan at the thought of all that free food, and Connie covered his face while everyone laughed.

"It'll be foodgasms everywhere." Reiner added.

Sasha's eyes rolled back. "Fuck, yes."

Eren was positively dying. Sasha was refreshing.

Ymir was laughing the loudest. "Sounds like you have a lot to live up to, Connie."

Connie smiled and shook his head. "I don't know. Sasha's love for cake exceeds anything I could ever give her."

Sasha quickly smacked his arm.

"Who's in charge of dishes?" Annie asked, placing her fork down on her empty plate.

Armin raised a hand. "I'll do it."

He scooted back his chair and Eren hesitated. "I'll do some too."

Mikasa looked surprised.

Reiner looked back and forth between Armin and Eren, who were staring at each other blankly.

"Alright!" He said, clapping his hands. "Everyone please gives applause to the help."

No one clapped except Marco, and he clapped excitedly.

"Oh, you guys suck! Armin, Eren, if no one else loves you, I love you."

Eren smiled. "Thanks, freckled jesus."

The two started collecting plates. Ymir made a comment about Eren being a cute bus boy, much to his dislike.

When the two went in the kitchen, Armin spoke first.

"I'll get the water going."

Eren set the plates on the counter where Armin put his pile. There was syrup on his thumb, but he didn't totally mind.

Eren waited for Armin to squeeze the soap in the sink to start placing dishes in.

Eren didn't know what he was doing. No, no, no, in regards to Armin, not the dishes. He fucking knew how to do dishes. It was Armin.

"Hey," Armin said, already scrubbing some plates. "Eren?"

Eren looked over at him with an impassive expression. "Yeah?"

He was still scrubbing the same plate. "I just wanted to say that I'm sorry."

Eren's mouth dropped open, and it took Armin a moment to look over him from his lack of response.

"What?" He asked, face a little red.

Eren slammed his hands down on the counter and yelled. "No!"

Armin looked startled. "What?"

Eren shook his head hurriedly. "No, Armin. No. If anyone should be apologizing, it's me. Not you, okay?"

Armin still looked shaken.

Eren sighed. "Armin, I'm sorry I hurt your feelings. There's no fucking excuse for me to be acting this way. It takes two people to fucking tango, and I'm so sorry I haven't tried to do more about our friendship."

Armin nodded. "I'm just as responsible as you, Eren. But can I ask you…why?"

"Why what?"

Armin crossed his arms over his chest. Not in a haughty way, but in a more defensive way. "Why have you been acting like this?"

Eren swallowed. For a while, since junior year, he had been feeling the same way, and not just about Armin, but about all his friends. He knew it would happen one day, and he should have prepared for it, but he just…couldn't.

"Armin, I…" Eren cut himself off and started washing a plate.

Armin looked at him with a dejected expression. "If in any way I made you feel…left out, or…or forgotten about, Eren, I am so sorry."

Eren shook his head. "I don't wanna talk about this anymore. I'm sorry though, okay? I didn't mean to make you feel bad. This is just all…confusing, I guess. Shit. I don't know."

Armin inhaled sharply, and let it go. "Okay. As long as you promise me we'll talk about it sometime soon."

Eren looked over him and smiled softly. "I promise."

888

Everyone was fine that morning, but by lunch, the lack of sleep after an aggressive soccer practice the day before was hitting everyone hard.

"I regret everything." Marco blurted.

Reiner was sitting next to Bert, and he was holding his hand underneath the table. "I regret nothing." He assured with a suggestive grin.

Bert groaned. "Reiner, please."

Annie was sipping her water. "Yeah. I think I heard something along the lines of that last night."

Connie spit out his drink. Sasha almost choked on her food. Jean covered his face with his hands. Eren was shaking his head.

"You guys can't keep it under control, can you?" He asked, eating a potato wedge.

Armin was blushing. "Seriously."

Ymir shook her head. "Gays."

Krista looked at her with an incredulous expression. "Really?"

"Yeah." Reiner agreed. "Those damn homosexuals."

Marco was laughing in embarrassment. "I'm so glad I don't have to deal with that."

Everyone looked at him in bewilderment.

Marco quickly retracted what he said for correction. "No! I mean, I'm so glad I don't have to deal with things like a high… _libido_."

He almost whispered the last word, and everyone laughed while Jean shook his head.

"Where is Mina? She needs to hear this conversation."

"In the library. She has a project due next period that she didn't finish."

"No, no. Can we just fucking talk about how he said libido?" Ymir asked, making everyone else laugh even harder. Even Mikasa had to cover her mouth.

Marco huffed. "I'm sorry I'm not sexual fiends like the rest of you."

Connie raised his hands in defense. "Hey, you don't know my life!"

"Well," Jean said, rubbing his hands together. "All angels must fall some time."

"Fall in the pussy, to be exact." Ymir added.

"Specifically Mina's." Annie continued.

Marco was blushing as hard as the shitty cherry tomatoes the school put in their salad, and Reiner got up and walked over to where Marco was sitting, leaning down so his mouth was right by his ear.

"Raw."

Marco squeaked. "Oh my god, Reiner, don't be lewd!"


	5. Chapter 5

The rest of the week after Reiner's sleepover was pleasant.

Coach Hanji posted the lists for official junior varsity and varsity soccer players on the giant corkboard by the front office. Eren knew his name was already on the list, but he went to look at the list first thing that Friday morning, and you best believe it was like a lunch rush in that hall.

Not only was the soccer list up, but cheerleading, volleyball, and chess were up as well.

The hall was littered with teens, all standing on the tips of their toes or squeezing past others, stepping on shoes without saying sorry, to get to the lists. There were some girls off to the side crying, and Eren tried not to laugh, but failed. They were probably upset they didn't make the cheerleading squad.

Eren recognized some of the people from conditioning and try-outs were in front of the soccer list. Most of them were sporting pleased expressions.

Armin was standing out there too. The list to the chess team had less people standing in front of it, but there were still some there. As president of the chess club, he probably wanted to see who made it.

Eren decided to approach him. He hadn't really talked to Armin since Thursday morning at Reiner's, but he promised himself and implied to Mikasa that he would do better as a friend.

"Hey." He said curtly, forcing an awkward smile and waving stiffly.

Armin turned his head and smiled wide when he saw Eren.

"Hey, did you make it?" He asked, gesturing to the hoard of teens beside them.

"My spot was already guaranteed." Eren answered, shrugging. He stepped closer to Armin and looked at the few names on the chess club list.

"So," He started, shifting on his feet, "does the line up look good this year?"

Armin laughed through his nose. He always did. "The lineup? What is this, Spring Fest?"

"Hey! Don't even get me started on that. When I told mom I was going this year for spring break, I meant it!"

Armin nodded. "Well, yes. I'm happy with the names on this list."

Eren dipped his head, indicating he understood. "So, uh, you know…I heard about this show once…it's about chess."

Armin looked moderately interested. "Oh, really? What was the plot?"

Eren looked into Armin's eyes with all seriousness. "The main character finds an old chess board in an attic and the ghost of an ex chess champion possesses him and makes him, like, the god of chess. And there's a blood stain on the chess board that was from the last person the ghost possessed…"

"Christ." Armin whispered. "That sounded like a really substandard plot for a low-grade anime."

Eren nodded vigorously. "It is!"

The two chatted some more before the bell rang, signaling everyone to go to their first class.

"I'll talk to you later, Armin." Eren said with a genuine smile.

Armin shrugged his heavy book bag on his shoulders and straightened his shirt. "Yeah, talk to you later, Eren."

When they parted, Eren exhaled a breath of relief that was long overdue. It was good to be on steady ground with his best friend again. Hearing those words meant more to him than he'd care to admit.

The weekend was eventful. Marco's mother had a celebratory dinner planned for them for making the varsity soccer team. Connie tried to tell Bert and Reiner that they weren't invited because they don't play soccer, and the group chat messages were so hilarious Eren thought he was going to bust a gut.

 **Springroll – Sat. 2:46**

' _Ya'll aren't fcking invited. Futbol players only.'_

 **Annie – Sat. 2:47**

' _So it's official? We're eating at Marco's tonight?'_

 **FrickFreck – Sat. 2:48**

' _Yes. Mother is making her special chili, and everyone is invited._ _ **EVERYONE**_ _, Connie. That includes Bert and Reiner.'_

 **Hoover – Sat. 2:50**

' _Thank you, Marco.'_

 **FrickFreck – Sat. 2:51**

' _No problem :)'_

 **ReinerisFiner – Sat. 2:53**

' _It's good 2 knw we r lved.'_

 **Rimy – Sat. 2:55**

' _How about only those who text like they're a human being are allowed to eat at Marco's… just a suggestion.'_

 **Springroll – Sat. 2:56**

' _Who the fuck is Rimy?'_

 **HistoryisMade – Sat. 2:58**

' _It's Ymir backwards. New group name. lol.'_

 **Springroll – Sat. 2:59**

' _Oohhh! I thought we had an intruder or something.'_

 **HistoryisMade – Sat. 3:00**

' _Well I'll be there, since the invitation is extended to everyone, lol. Plus, I love your mom's chili Marco!'_

 **MajesticStallion – Sat. 3:02**

' _What time?'_

 **ReinerisFiner – Sat. 3:03**

' _Hold up. I jst reelized wtf u jst said ymir.'_

 **HistoryisMade – Sat. 3:05**

' _You're so slow Reiner! LOL'_

 **Rimy – Sat. 3:06**

' _And only those who are quick to think are invited as well.'_

 **Annie – Sat. 3:06**

' _You're one to talk, Ymir. Quick to think? Meanwhile, you be at practice with that 'coach I didn't even see the ball coming towards the goal' shit. Yeah, really quick thinking, Ymir.'_

 **Springroll – Sat. 3:07**

' _Shots fucking fired!'_

 **HistoryisMade – Sat. 3:08**

' _Pew pew pew. LOL.'_

 **FrickFreck – Sat. 3:09**

' _You guys, pls.'_

 **Springroll – Sat. 3:10**

' _Nahh let them do it!'_

 **Rimy – Sat. 3:12**

' _Bitch I know you're not talking. Aren't you miss 'I thought they were on our team coach?'Passing the ball to the opponents. Reason number 345897 you need a fucking soccer tutor, Lion.'_

 **MajesticStallion – Sat. 3:13**

' _Is anyone going to answer my question?'_

 **HistoryisMade – Sat. 3:14**

' _Ymir! Apologize to Annie! LOL_

 **Saaashaaa – Sat. 3:16**

' _Ladies and gentlemen if you look closely you can see two alphas competing for ground. Let's keep watching to see how this goes…Annie, your give.'_

 **Annie – Sat. 3:17**

' _That was one time. Meanwhile, your situation is a recurrence.'_

 **Springroll – Sat. 3:18**

' _I'm at work literally dying rite now, Hahaha!'_

 **Saaashaaa – Sat. 3:19**

' _How will Rimy respond? Rimy, your give.'_

 **ReinerisFiner – Sat. 3:20**

' _Ymir ur sposed to be arguing wth me. Fuck Annie.'_

 **MajesticStallion – Sat. 3:22**

' _IS ANYONE GOING TO ANSWER MY FUCKING QUESTION?'_

 _ **FrickFreck has left the conversation**_

 **MajesticStallion – Sat. 3:23**

' _GODDAMNIT MARCO!'_

 **Mikasa – Sat. 3:25**

' _You guys are idiots.'_

 **Springroll – Sat. 3:26**

' _I thought that was Annie's line.'_

 **Annie – Sat. 3:27**

' _Shut the fuck up, Reiner.'_

 **ReinerisFiner – Sat. 3:28**

' _Don't do me honey. I will break through every wall of your house and crush you.'_

 **Saaashaaa – Sat. 3:29**

' _Wow, Reiner. That was actually….really violent sounding. At least you used proper grammar. Ymir, Annie, how will you give?'_

 **Mikasa – Sat. 3:30**

' _Better not let that pizza burn, Connie.'_

 **Springroll – Sat. 3:31**

' _Is it fucking ironic that 'Let it Burn' is playing right now?'_

 **MajesticStallion – Sat. 3:32**

' _Is no one going to fucking tell me what time we're fucking eating at Marco's fucking house tonight? What the fuck.'_

 **HistoryisMade – Sat. 3:33**

' _Seven, Jean. Damn. Seven o'fucking'clock.'_

 **Springroll – Sat. 3:34**

' _Yeah six o'fucking'clock Jean. You don't have to cuss so fucking much, fuck.'_

 **Mikasa – Sat. 3:35**

' _Yeah. Five thirty.'_

 **ReinerisFiner – Sat. 3:35**

' _Yeah seven fucking thirty jean fuck.'_

 **Annie – Sat. 3:36**

' _Fucking five oclock Jean.'_

 **Saaashaaa – Sat. 3:37**

' _I thought it was fucking eight oclock jean fuck.'_

 **Hoover – Sat. 3:38**

' _5.'_

 **MajesticStallion – Sat. 3:40**

' _What Fucking time are we Going To EaT?! It's taking two fcking hours for me to get a fucking answer.'_

 **Armin – Sat. 3:42**

' _Hmm. I thought it was…fucking 7:15.'_

 **MajesticStallion – Sat. 3:35**

' _FUCK!'_

 **Springroll – Sat. 3:36**

' _No thank you.'_

Needless to say, as soon as Eren saw everyone at Marco's house that evening at 7:05, he burst into laughter, and everyone else followed.

The Bodt family was composed of Marco and his parents. His mother was a sweet woman, freckles like Marco's, but only on her nose and her arms. Marco's father was an accountant, and he and Marco favored each other so much that everyone swore it was like glimpsing into the future.

Mr. Bodt prayed over the meal before they ate, and the rest of dinner was spent with lighthearted insults, almost curse words, and several compliments in Mrs. Bodt's direction over her chili from heaven.

Oh yes, the weekend had closed out nicely. Eren spent his Sunday with Mikasa and Carla watching movie after movie. It was lightly drizzling outside, and Chinese take-out was choice for the night.

But when Monday swung back around, it introduced a new set of problems Eren didn't see coming.

And it goes a little something like this….

888

The light rain from the day before had turned into a full on shower. It was ugly outside, and so was everyone's mood.

Eren and the group had to sit inside for lunch, and that was a nuisance on its own. And since it was so many people crowded into one lunch hall, and underclassmen were idiots, a few people developed acute cabin fever and started screaming ceaselessly when a loud clap of thunder sounded and the lights flicked off for one second.

Connie joined in with everyone else and started screaming. Ymir covered her ears in annoyance. Krista was laughing way too hard for someone who was just in the dark with a multitude of screaming, frightened children.

Annie yelled over the screams. "Stupid fucking underclassmen."

Marco shook his head, still eating his food. "We were them once."

"Were we this dumb?" Jean asked, face scrunched up in annoyance.

The screaming wouldn't end. This always happened to people when it rained. They got frisky.

"The lights are already back on!" Eren yelled, looking around him at the chaos.

Some random boy bumped into Bert, and didn't apologize. Bert was rubbing the back of his head, and Reiner got to upset that he was about to stand up and state some choice words.

"Reiner, it's fine." Bert pleaded, placing a hand on his shoulder. "Really, it is."

"That guy needs to apologize." Reiner growled. It seemed that even he was on edge today.

Mikasa was scowling as well.

Krista looked around at her own table. "Wow, what's wrong with you guys today? Everyone's so…oh hey, there goes Shadis."

The whole table craned their neck to look and see Shadis with a microphone in his hand, standing on top of a chair.

"Oh god plug your ears!" Marco said, putting his plastic fork down quickly and sealing his ears.

"EVERYONE BE QUITE!"

The cafeteria went dead silent. You could hear someone's stomach gurgle from across the hall.

"Sit down!" Shadis yelled again.

Ymir rolled her eyes. "I'm too old for this shit."

Shadis went on yelling about how everyone needed to act mature, and that a small power outage was not incentive to act like 'wildlings.'

"Wildlings?" Marco said in confusion.

Annie cleared her throat. "I suppose that's what old people call teenagers these days."

888

Statistics wasn't any better. Some of the students continuously talked in class, surprisingly not Eren and Jean, and Mr. Moore got so upset that he stopped teaching and gave the class a ridiculous amount of book work to do.

Eren didn't do it. He refused to sit there and do busy work over subjects he didn't even understand because someone else was being a fuck nugget.

Mr. Moore asked if he was going to do the work. Eren politely said no, and Mr. Moore politely went ahead and put a zero in the grade book for him.

Eren couldn't bring himself to care. He didn't know if he had officially given up on Statistics, or if his senioritis was starting to kick in. Whatever it was, it was sure to get his ass chewed out as soon as he walked through the front door of his home.

"What do you think mom will say?" Mikasa asked from Jean's passenger. The two front riders hadn't spoken a word to one another, and Jean looked resigned to that fact.

"I don't know. I'm not really sure I care." Eren answered quickly, looking distastefully at the gloomy weather beating across the car window. The rain wasn't letting up.

Jean didn't talk to either one of them on the car ride home, and Bon Iver was playing softly in the convertible. That's how Eren knew Jean was in a dismal mood. Bon Iver was not meant for playing in fast cars.

When they pulled into the neighborhood, Eren sighed. He couldn't wait for the day he wouldn't have to look at the same white picket fences and pseudo green grass. He had lived in Maria his whole life, as well as Rose neighborhood. When he was a child, getting out didn't bother him as much. He'd dream of adventure, you know, things that a child should be dreaming of. Now, it was a desire. Leaving this place was a need.

"Whose car is that?" Mikasa asked bitterly.

Eren leaned forward and looked in their driveway. Surely enough, there was a black BMW parked nicely.

Carla had girlfriends. None of them drove BMW's. It and sure as hell wasn't one of his friends.

Jean stopped near their driveway. "Do you guys wanna go in there, or…"

"No use in running." Eren answered tiredly. "It's probably just one of his surprise visits."

Jean was staring at their house with squinted eyes. "When was the last time you talked to him?"

Eren shook his head. "Um, sometime junior year."

"Right before the summer." Mikasa finished, picking up her bag.

Jean sighed. "Good luck."

They ran through the wet grass to the door, and not in excitement. They'd sit in Jean's car forever if they had to, if only to avoid seeing _him_.

Mikasa unlocked the door, but before she pushed it open, she looked over her shoulder at Eren with sharp eyes.

"Behave."

Eren shrugged, and Mikasa pushed open the door.

The house was quiet. The television was not on, and there were no delicious smells coming from the kitchen. Eren and Mikasa could hear quiet voice talking around the corner from the living room.

Grisha was sitting on the adjacent couch to Carla's, and she smiled, albeit forced, when her two teens walked in.

"There you two are. The weather's nasty. I'm glad you're home safely."

Eren swallowed. His mother sounded so scripted, rehearsed. She often sounded that way around people she wasn't comfortable with.

Mikasa and Eren sat on either side of Carla on the smaller couch, and both set their book bags down.

Eren rubbed his hands on his knees, pretending to dry them off. He needed movement.

"Hello, Eren, Mikasa." Grisha said, gesturing to them both.

Eren looked up at him. He was wearing a grey button up and nice slacks, as if he just got off work. His round rimmed glasses were perched high on his nose as usual. His brown hair was past his neck and tucked behind his ears.

Time wasn't cruel to Grisha Jaeger. He had small lines around his mouth that only stood out when he frowned or smiled too hard. His wealth was probably keeping him healthy.

"Hey." They replied simultaneously. Neither one dared to call him dad, or say his name.

"I know this is an unexpected visit." He said, placing his hands together and rubbing them. They were dry. "But I really wanted to talk to you two."

Mikasa stole away from Grisha's gaze to look at Carla. She was sitting still as a statue, judgmental expression on her face.

Eren leaned forward and placed his elbows on his knees, perching his clasped hands under his chin. "Okay." He said curtly.

Grisha and Eren's positions mirrored each other's, and Grisha cleared his throat and sat up. "Well, I already spoke with your mother, and she agreed on the thought that we need to spend more time together. As a family."

Eren pursed his lips.

The living room was silent, save for the steady ticking clock on the wall, and the patter of rain on the window.

"Was that was bitter for you to say as it was for me to hear?" Eren questioned. He heard his mother gasp behind her hand and Mikasa sigh.

Grisha didn't change his façade. "I did not think you would be gung ho for it."

Eren smiled in pure challenge. "Not at all."

"Eren." Carla quickly said.

"Why?" Mikasa asked, making everyone look at her.

Her eyes were squinted, and her expression was none too inviting. Threatening.

"Why?" Grisha repeated.

"Yes." Mikasa answered. "Yes. Why? Why now?"

Grisha exhaled. "I know our relationship is complicated." Eren rolled his eyes. Grisha ignored it and continued. "But you two are seniors, well on your way to turning eighteen, and well on your way to college. I think we all need to have some sort of parent-child communication with one another."

Eren swallowed again. Thickly. His father sounded like the psychiatrist he was, treating his own family children like he treats his patients.

"No offense," Eren interjected, meaning all the offense he could muster, "but this isn't some 'lay on the couch and tell me all about your problems' kind of deal, okay? You said it yourself. We're almost eighteen, we're about to go off, so there really is no point in starting now."

He was expecting his mom to butt in, but she just sat there, arms folded over her chest, looking back and forth between Grisha and Eren. Eren appreciated her silence this time around.

"Do you think I do not care about you?" Grisha asked, his voice tight. Eren's eyes widened, and his hands shook a little.

"Excuse me?" He laughed out.

Grisha spoke. "Let me clarify. I care about you and Mikasa deeply, and I know my actions do not follow my words, but believe me, I care. I want us to have something. There doesn't have to be animosity and tension."

Eren laughed again, purely incredulous. "Are you fucking kidding me?"

"Language!" Carla snapped in a stern voice.

Eren sat up. "Sorry, but, I really can't bring myself to buy the crap spewing out of your mouth. You care so much, right? But hardly calling, or coming to see us, or explaining anything totally lets me know how much you care, _Grisha_."

Grisha bit his bottom lip and sighed. "I will not have you talk to me this way."

"You can't disappear for however long you like and then just come back and expect open arms!" Eren yelled, standing up. "Family may have to separate from one another for a while, but they don't disregard one another like they don't exist."

For that, Grisha did not have an immediate response. Mikasa sat forward.

"There's a lot of explaining that needs to be done on your part." She acknowledged.

Eren turned to glare at her. Was she actually buying into it?

"And I'd be willing to listen." She finished, nodding her head.

Eren scoffed. "Well, you two can have this father-daughter relationship. I'd rather not."

Mikasa looked up and over at him. Eren was no longer looking at her, but if he was, he would have seen the almost offended visage on her face.

Then Carla spoke. "I told your father that it would be up to you two, individually. I cannot make this decision for you. Both of you are well old enough to decide who you do and do not want to associate with."

Eren nodded. "Okay. Then I decided no."

He picked up his book bag, and ignored his mother calling after him as he walked briskly down the hall and locked himself in his room.

888

That night, Eren decided that Mikasa was not coming in his room at an ungodly hour to talk about nothing at all and share a blanket.

He had probably pissed her off, or she thought he was pissed off, either way, they couldn't talk to each other right now. His mother hadn't attempted to talk to him either, and he stole away to the kitchen earlier to grab his left over Chinese take-out from the day before and bring it back to his room.

He had music playing, indie, something to suit his mood, and he was lying on his bed, hands behind his head, staring up at the ceiling.

His mind was mulling over his situation with Armin, and then his situation with his father. He seemed to have a problem with letting people back in, and he knew that all along, but it was getting harder and harder to deal with.

It was difficult with Armin because he loved him, and they were best friends, as they always had been, and sudden change wasn't good for either one of them.

And Eren was pathetic and slightly jealous and upset by the fact that Armin was leaving.

All his friends were leaving, actually.

Mikasa already had a soccer scholarship. She was smart enough to fuck herself up with an injury the previous year, and she was scouted. Jean too. Sasha was eyeing several culinary schools that were far away from home. Annie was looking into the military. Reiner was more than likely lined up for a football scholarship. Marco was going to a university a few cities away in a much more urban area. Krista was probably leaving. He wasn't so sure about Connie or Ymir, but they would probably find their own way after graduation as well.

Meanwhile, Eren couldn't figure out what the fuck he wanted to do with his life and that bit because he hated being stagnant, but he couldn't move.

He often tried not to think about it. He tried to cherish every moment with his squad as sacred, and pledged to remember everything they ever did together. They were all separating soon, and Eren vowed to never say it out loud, but he was scared. They were all he had ever known, and despite his overwhelming desire to leave Maria, he didn't want to leave them.

And then his father, Grisha, miraculously decides that reconnecting at a time like this is what they all need. What Eren thought he knew he needed was to be away from him. That's what he thought he knew.

And for Mikasa to sit there and just accept his obscure apology…it felt like she was taking sides. She seemed just as upset to come home and see Grisha's car in the driveway, she was just as stern in her tone of voice as he was when they were all in the living room, but then she did a 180, and changed her mind.

He knew he was being irrational. Mikasa could do whatever she wanted with Grisha, as long as they left him out of it. He didn't want to hear about any of their conversations, and he sure as hell didn't want to start seeing him around the house more often. There was a gap between him and his father that he'd convinced himself he didn't need nor want to fill.

Out of pure boredom, Eren picked up his phone and squinted at the brightness. He went online to the school website to check his grades. It was week 4, and although progress reports wouldn't be out for another two weeks, he wanted to know where he stood.

His grades were pretty damn good, if he could brag. He still had an A in anatomy, and that was an honors glass. English was an A. Art was a B, unsurprisingly. Engineering was an A. Government was an A. And his ever lovely Probability and Statistics was a beautiful whopping….

D.

Eren sat up quickly. He clicked on the course and saw how his lack of doing his homework and poor participation was killing his grades. Plus, they took a quiz last Friday, and Eren flunked it. His GPA was now paying the price.

And he just _knew_ what this meant. This lovely, wonderful D in his Stats class was going to prompt his mother to grill him once again and force a math tutor in his life, which was undeniably going to be…

Levi.


	6. Chapter 6

"And I basically have no choice or say so in the matter." Eren finished, slamming the dryer door shut and sitting on top of the washer.

Armin stood in the garage, arms folded across his chest with one hand propped underneath his chin, looking perplexed at everything Eren said.

He and Armin had agreed to try more, and so they had been. Armin just so happened to have the Tuesday free, with no SGA or chess to take up his schedule after school, he drove Mikasa and Eren home for the first time.

Jean tried to act like he wasn't peeved that he wouldn't be driving Mikasa home.

Eren had started on a load of laundry, transitioning from his room to the garage, talking the whole way with Armin on his tail, giving the rundown of everything that had happened since the start of their senior year.

"That's tough stuff, Eren." Armin said in a sigh. "But at least your mom isn't forcing you to reconnect with him."

Eren swung his legs. "Thank fuck for that. Look, Mikasa can do whatever she wants, as long as she leaves me out of it."

Armin nodded. "I understand."

"Besides," Eren continued, rubbing his hands on his thighs, "if dad is so focused on Mikasa, he won't have to think of ways to bother me, and I won't have to associate with him."

Armin looked skeptical. He always did, every time Eren opened his mouth to rant, which was more often than not.

"What?" Eren asked, throwing his hands up.

Armin laughed slightly. "Nothing, Eren, nothing. It's okay. So, what time is this tutor of yours coming over?"

Eren groaned and checked his phone. "Five thirty. So, in twenty more minutes."

"The short guy with the attitude from across the street?" Armin asked.

"Yes!" Eren answered, pointing. "Another thing mom is doing to ruin my life. But, I guess I really can't have a D in a class."

"You can, but it wouldn't be wise. These classes of mine are brutal."

Eren tilted his head to the side. Sometimes, he forget just what level classes Armin took, and then the word 'advanced' raced through his mind in neon letters and he remembered.

"Hey," Eren said softly, "how have you been doing, by the way?"

Armin moved his hand away from his chin. "Um, good I guess. Why?"

Eren shrugged. "No reason. I just know the classes are hard, even for you. Don't overwork yourself, okay?"

It took a second, but Armin smiled. "I won't."

Armin stayed over a little while longer before he stated he was leaving so Eren could mentally prepare for his tutoring session with his least favorite person in his least favorite subject.

"Try to be nice." Armin called out his car window, waving as he did so.

Eren waved after him as Armin drove off, and turned back around to close the garage.

When he walked back in the kitchen, he pulled a wedgie out of his ass, and scowled at the school items on the kitchen table.

Earlier, he had set his Statistics textbook and notebook on the table, along with a pencil and calculator.

He knew his mom was in the living room. The television was blaring, and she was laughing at something. Mikasa was probably in her room.

Eren didn't just want to sit there at the table like a loser and wait for Levi like he was happily expecting him, but there wasn't anything better to do.

He sat and checked his phone again. He had a message from Marco.

 **FrickFreck – Tues. 5:23 pm**

' _Hey, have you talked to Connie lately?'_

 **Jaegerbomb – Tues. 5:24 pm**

' _Nah. What's wrong?'_

Connie hadn't been at school that day or the day before, and all of them had noticed, but no one knew why.

Connie had kind of been off kilter as of late, Eren had noticed. Like, he wasn't his usual self.

Actually, this past week, everyone had been acting weird. Eren knew he was appearing to be less inviting than usual, mainly because of his current family situation, but now that included Connie, and Bert and Reiner seemed tense around each other as of late. Jean and Mikasa still weren't talking to each other, and Mina…

Was still Mina.

At least Eren made improvements with Armin. That was one thing he could say was looking up in his life.

It rained all last week, and unsurprisingly, Carla grilled Eren about his Statistics grade. Eren didn't even have the will to argue with her, which she found odd. She snapped and stated that starting next week, every Tuesday and Thursday afternoon, Levi would be coming over to tutor him.

Eren could have argued, but he was tired. He had other projects due for other classes that week, and he was already tense with his mother as it was, so he just shrugged and let it happen.

Now that it was next week, Eren sat at the kitchen table in silence, waiting for Levi to show up.

It wasn't that Eren didn't want a tutor, it was just that he didn't want Levi. His mom could have looked harder, yes, but why put in extra effort when the answer is right in front of his face.

Eren briefly thought of what Levi would think of his chicken scrawl, and laughed when the image of Levi walking out of his house because his writing wasn't straight enough popped into his mind.

Just then, the doorbell rang, and Eren ceased laughing. He sighed. "Shit. Let's get this over with."

He stood up to leave the kitchen, socks sliding on the wood floor. His mom was already at the front door, television on mute so it wouldn't overwhelm the humbled guest.

Eren stood a distance behind her while she cracked open the door, nervousness growing.

"Good afternoon, Levi." She cooed.

"Good afternoon." Levi responded professionally, stepping through the threshold as Carla gestured him.

Eren looked him up and down. He was wearing a white Cage The Elephant band t-shirt with the 'Melophobia' album logo on the front. Eren knew it was from that album because he had the exact same shirt in black. He didn't have anything with him, just his person and the outline of his phone in the front pocket of his fitted black jeans.

Eren made eye contact with him, and looked away after a moment.

"Thank you so much for agreeing to do this." Carla said, closing the door behind her, running her hands down her thighs. "Sorry to take up your time."

"It's alright." Levi assured. "Isabel told me how urgent the situation was."

Eren pursed his lips and squinted his eyes. Urgent?

Carla laughed. Mom laugh. "Yes, I'm afraid Eren's grade has dropped to a D in his Stats class, and it was almost too good to be true when Isabel told me you could help."

Levi turned his lips upward slightly in what was supposed to be a warm smile. "Well, I hope I can help with that."

Eren shook his head. This wasn't the same Levi he had conversed with when he mowed their lawn. This Levi had an engaging attitude, almost…attra-

"Eren?"

"Huh?" Eren blurted.

"I asked would you like to show Levi to the kitchen so you two can get started."

Eren felt embarrassed. Nothing new. "Sure. I mean yes. Yes ma'am."

Carla looked questioning. "Alright. Don't waste Mr. Levi's time here." She said with a sickingly sweet smile.

Eren nodded at his mom and nodded towards Levi to let him know he could follow him.

He heard footsteps behind him, stepping down into the kitchen, stopping to pull a chair from the table. He only turned back around to sit in his chair, and saw that Levi had taken the seat across from him.

"Okay." Levi stated. "How did you manage to drop to a D within four weeks?"

Eren sat back in his chair, a little peeved, but he would keep it cool. "I don't understand this stuff."

"Stuff like what?" Levi asked quickly, leaning back in his chair as well. "Is it the definitions, the work itself, or explaining your work?"

Levi was asking Eren questions about things he hadn't even thought of. Eren hadn't paid attention to the logistics as to why he didn't understand Statistics, he just knew he didn't.

"I-I don't know," he answered, shifting in his chair. "I don't get anything, I guess."

Levi looked curious. "Then why are you taking Statistics?"

"I couldn't take anything else. It was either Prob and Stats, or pre-cal."

Levi made a face. "You sure as hell don't want pre-cal," he muttered, then cleared his throat. "Okay. Well, show me what you're working on in class now."

Eren opened up his text book to the current chapter. He confessed that he rarely ever used the book unless it was to do his homework.

"If you didn't already know, I'll give you a heads up," Levi started while flipping quickly through the chapter Eren showed him. "You cannot learn math from a textbook."

Eren agreed. "I know. It doesn't really help, like, the example problems aren't that much of a help, and the directions to the problems are vague."

"That's high school for you," Levi concluded. "College is no better."

Eren was silent for a while as he watched Levi skim over pages with a displeased expression on his face. It was cool to look at, ya know, like, it was almost…attra-

"Are you in college?" Eren asked abruptly.

Levi answered yes in a 'mhmm' tone without looking away from the book.

"Oh, cool." Eren uttered. "Um, do you go to Smith University, or the community college?"

"Smith." Levi answered, still looking at the textbook.

"Oh okay." Eren answered. He felt that he was being nosey, but it wasn't necessarily rude to ask questions about someone's schooling, was it?

"My mom said that Isabel told her you're an accountant." Eren continued, adding inflection at the end of the sentence.

"Unfortunately." Levi sighed, arching an eyebrow. "It's only temporary."

Eren nodded, and sat quietly. He figured he had asked enough questions, and let Levi look over the chapter in peace. It was short amount of time before Levi spoke again.

"Okay, frequency distributions. That's what this chapter is about. This involves charting. Do you know how to make charts?"

Eren looked at the example problem Levi was pointing at. "Um, I guess. I did some in my notebook."

Levi gestured with a hand. "Let's see."

Eren brought forward his notebook and flipped to the most recent set of notes he took. He pushed it towards Levi so he could see.

Levi picked up the notebook with both hands and studied it carefully. Eren felt like his soul was being judged somehow.

"Wow." He said flatly.

"What?" Eren asked.

Levi bit his bottom lip momentarily before answering. "This is…pretty fucking terrible."

Eren's eyes widened. "Wha-

"None of your columns have labels, your numbers aren't listed least to greatest, you have small notes jotted to the side, but they're barely legible, your columns aren't even straight."

Eren internally screamed. 'Un-fucking-believable.'

"Well, this is one problem right here." Levi said, sliding the notebook back to Eren. "How do you expect to pass if you don't put in any effort?"

"I do put in effort." Eren lied.

"Is that the extent of your effort, then?" Levi responded. "Because if that's the case, you might want to find a different tutor."

Eren furrowed his eyebrows. "What are you even talking about?"

Levi leaned forward in his chair and set his hands on the table. "I'm talking about how there are plenty of other things I would like to be doing with the time off from work instead of sitting here and wasting it on a teen who doesn't feel like trying. So, if you actually want help, and you want to pass, you have to work, deal?"

Eren just stared. Levi wasn't speaking to him in a mean tone, just like he wasn't when he mowed his lawn to his displeasure. He was stern, but not mean.

"Okay." Eren nodded. "You're right. I need to get my shit together….Oh! Sorry, excuse my language."

Levi laughed through his nose. "It's okay. This is your house, not mine. Plus, I cursed too."

Eren laughed nervously. "Okay. Cool."

He felt like he was saying that a lot throughout their tutoring session, but Levi was right in telling him that he needed to put in more effort. Eren could clearly see the difference in how he worked a problem based on how neatly he set the information up from the beginning, and with Levi's guidance, he understood the structure a lot more.

It was a little after seven when Levi stood up and stretched. Eren thanked him repeatedly for his help, feeling a lot better about himself.

"Oh, by the way, I have that same shirt." Eren said, pointing at Levi while he was still stretching.

Levi paused, looked down at himself, then lowered his arms. "Oh. You like them?"

"Yeah." Eren answered. "Their first album is my favorite."

Levi nodded, smirking a bit. "Same here."

Eren smiled. "Oh, cool," he said yet again. 'Go die in a hole, Eren.'

"I will see you Thursday, same time." Levi said, turning around the leave the kitchen. Eren set his notebook down and followed him out. It was proper to show your guest the door, right? Household etiquette or some shit like that.

Carla was on the phone, chatting away with someone, and waved and smiled as Levi and Eren walked by the living room to the door.

Levi opened the door for himself, and Eren felt stupid for even following. He didn't need to do anything. "Thanks." He said one last time.

Levi nodded, placing his hands in his pockets. "No problem." He said, and turned around to walk down the pathway and across the street to his house. "Oh, Eren, by the way…"

Eren opened the door a little bit more before closing it and spoke. "Yeah?"

"You're really bad at drawing straight lines."

And away he went.

Eren's smile deflated in record time, and he closed the door, rolling his eyes. Nice things just can't be.

Carla came around the corner, phone still pressed to her ear, and spoke.

"How did it go?" She whispered.

Eren thought back over the session briefly, and nodded. "It actually went…good."

888

"He said he just wasn't feeling school." Marco began.

Annie rolled her eyes. "I'm never feeling school. What does that even mean? 'Feeling' school? What the fuck."

Krista pursed her lips. "I'm not feeling school either, but he can't just not feel school for three days in a row."

"He's gonna be so behind in Engineering." Jean chimed in, downing the rest of his milk.

"And we have practice today," Eren added. "If you don't show up to school, and your absence isn't excused, then you can't practice."

"Has anybody talked to him?" Marco asked, worry in his expression. "I mean, has anybody called him?"

The lunch table was silent. No one had called Connie.

"And you didn't text me back last night when I asked you what was wrong with him." Eren blurted, throwing a small string french fry in Marco's direction.

"I'm sorr- hey! Don't throw food at me."

Reiner spoke up. "Well, how about one of us goes to visit him today?"

Crickets.

Ymir spoke up first. "I'm not good with shit like that."

"Same." Annie agreed.

"We have practice." Eren continued.

"Only until five," Reiner countered. "And I'm talking to a football recruiter today. I really don't know how long that's going to take."

"Recruiter from where?" Jean asked, leaning forward.

Reiner grinned. "I've been trying to keep it a surprise."

That caught everyone's attention. There were several verbal jabs from the group wanting to hear the news.

Reiner clapped his hands together once. "I'm thinking about committing to Dawk University."

Collective gasps and enthusiastic shrieks came from the table, catching the attention of other seniors in the outside area.

Dawk University was an elite sports school in two states over that everyone labeled as a 'powerhouse.' It was the same school Mikasa and Jean were committing to for soccer (Eren was still trying to get there), and always in the news for some event or another. It was an athlete's dream school.

"Reiner!" Krista cooed, leaning into him. "That's great."

"Looks like I'll still be seeing your stinking face for a while, huh?" Jean muttered, smirking.

Even Ymir looked impressed. "I knew there was something out there that your unnecessary bulk could prove fruitful for."

"Wait," Eren interrupted, "you said you were thinking about it. So, it's not official yet?"

"Nah." Reiner said. "But they're good, and their offers are almost too good to pass up."

"Offers like?" Jean asked.

"Four year tuition paid for, hook ups to the national league, ya know, great shit of that sort."

Annie whistled. "That's not bad."

"At all." Krista added.

Mikasa nodded. "Congratulations, Reiner."

"You guys, I said I was still thinking." Reiner battled. Krista purposely ignored him and continued to coo in congratulations, as did everyone else just for the sake of getting on his nerves.

Eren didn't miss how Bert didn't comment at all.

888

"Where's Springer?"

Jean looked in Coach Hanji's direction. "He didn't come to school today. I don't think he's feeling well," he lied. Well, it might not have totally been a lie.

Hanji bit her bottom lip and sighed. "I really didn't want anyone missing practice today. It's the first official practice after all."

Jean didn't comment. He only nodded and started to walk away from his coach in centerfield, but Hanji stopped him.

"Jean, may I speak to you for a moment?"

Jean turned back around and gulped. Hanji knew. She knew about that time they had that stupid soccer group-warming party his freshman year at the golf club and he spiked the fucking punch bowl...

"Yes?"

Hanji smiled at him, not too warmly, and not too hard, but somewhere in the middle like always.

"How would you feel about being captain of the boy's soccer team?"

Jean's eyes grew. "Wha-what?"

Hanji didn't bat an eye. "You. Captain. Boys soccer. Sound good?"

He was well aware he was gaping, and closed his mouth when he realized how unattractive that probably looked. He almost didn't care, though. There was no way Hanji was asking him this.

"Coach, that…that would be…awesome. Like, you have no idea."

Hanji nodded. "It'll be a vote of your peers, but I'm sure they will choose you."

Jean's shocked smile faded. "Wait, what about Marco…"

"Perhaps a co-captain?" Hanji answered quickly, then laughed. "I have a feeling Mr. Bodt would choose you as well."

Jean gaped again, then laughed in disbelief. "What makes you think I'm suited to be the captain?"

Hanji arched an eyebrow. "I will leave that for you to figure out."

888

When Jean announced on the way home that Hanji had talked to him personally about being captain, Eren was not the least bit surprised.

"Didn't we already tell you this?" Eren asked, rubbing his thighs. Soreness.

"Yeah! But…I really didn't think coach would be interested in me. I was thinking Marco."

"Of course you were." Eren said, smirking.

Jean looked in the rearview mirror and squinted. "What's that supposed to mean?"

"Not a thing if you don't want it to." Eren answered. "Hey, let's go see Connie tomorrow, whether he shows up to school or not."

Jean shook his head. "Coach did not look happy about Connie not being at practice."

"Do you think he's alright?" Mikasa asked.

Neither one answered. Jean was pretty sure Mikasa wasn't talking to him, and Eren was pretty sure Mikasa wasn't talking to him either. They hadn't really talked all week.

"Hello?" Mikasa asked when no one answered.

"Oh, I don't know." Eren answered quickly. "He's kind of been…not Connie lately."

"Maybe something's going on at home." Jean added.

"Like what?" Eren began. "I mean, him and his mom get along great. And I don't think the twins are giving him problems."

Mikasa tilted her head. "Maybe he's been thinking about his dad."

That stopped all conversation. Connie's dad had passed years ago. Eren and the rest of them had to be in the…like, the fifth grade. Lung cancer from too much smoking had been the cause. It was so long ago that Eren sometimes forgot Mr. Springer ever existed.

"That's a little farfetched, don't you think?" Jean asked in a certain tone.

"To think of a dead parent?" Mikasa said sharply, glaring at Jean.

Jean quickly retracted and tried to fix what he said. "Gosh, damn it, Mikasa I'm sorry. I didn't mean it-

"You always say and do things you don't mean." Mikasa said in mocking emphasis.

"Once again, I try to apologize and all you do is-

"I told you, you can save your apologies."

"And you can save your attitude!"

"I'd rather _not_."

"Hey! You're in _my_ fucking car."

"Oh, I'm sorry. Are there conditions?"

"You know what? I'm beginning to think that-

"Can you two please just _stop_!"

The arguing ceased as Eren yelled, the tension as thick as ever.

"This is stupid." Eren muttered, still loud enough that the others could hear him. "You two can't even fucking be around each other without starting a _fucking_ argument about stupid shit."

There was no more talking after that chastisement, and when Eren and Mikasa arrived at their home, neither one of them said goodbye to Jean, and vice versa.

888

That night at dinner, Carla took note of how both her teens were quiet. Not just around her, but each other.

"Okay." Carla declared. "What's going on with you two?"

No one answered.

"Alright." Carla said, scooting her chair back and throwing up her hands. "Can't say I didn't try."

Mom had washed up her plate and left the kitchen, leaving Eren and Mikasa at the table alone. Eren was attempting to eat his food as fast as he could, while Mikasa was barely eating at all.

Eren stopped to take a breather, and looked up. Mikasa was looking at her lap.

He lost his appetite.

Eren scooted back and picked up his plate none too gently. He raked the remainder of his food into the garbage, silently apologizing to the children in third world counties, and washed his plate.

While he was at it, he decided to wash up the rest of the dishes so his mom wouldn't have to worry about it later, even though she was on kitchen duty.

"Hey, Eren." Mikasa said quietly

"What?" He responded quickly.

"I'm sorry."

He clicked his tongue. "I'm not the one you should be apologizing to."

It was quiet for a little while longer, save for the running water and occasional clang of dishes.

"Not about earlier." Mikasa said. "But about last week, with dad."

Eren stopped momentarily, but didn't say anything.

Mikasa continued. "Can you be honest with me?"

"I guess." He sighed. Eren was anxious.

It took Mikasa a moment to speak again. She cleared her throat first, and then blew out a small breath. "Are you mad at me because I decided to give him a chance?"

Eren turned off the water, and dried his hands on a nearby dish towel. "I don't care what you do, as long as you don't try to pull me into it."

That's not all he wanted to say. That sure as hell wasn't all he wanted to say, but some things were always better left untouched.

"That's not answering my question." Mikasa said sternly. "I asked if you're mad at me. I don't care whether you care about what I do or not."

Eren turned around. "You don't care, but you still wanna know my answer?"

"That's not what I said." Mikasa argued, standing up and walking towards him. "I said I don't care whether you care about what I do or not."

"Then you also shouldn't care about how I feel about what you do." Eren bit back. He walked away from her and towards the exit of the kitchen. "Make sure to wash your dish.

888

 _Music was pumping loudly through the house. She felt the bass thump in her chest._

 _There was smoke here and there, smells of substances everyone in the vicinity was too young to be consuming, and a lot of laughter and dancing and things she wasn't doing herself._

 _She was sober, sober enough, anyway. She had only taken four shots, and that was over a period of two hours with water after each one. She had never been drunk, and really didn't want to be. She'd seen Eren, Jean, Reiner, and Connie all get that way enough times and decided that wasn't for her._

" _You could at least try to have a good time."_

 _Mikasa turned her head to the left, and saw that Ymir had sat next to her on the leather couch. Someone else had been sitting there just a second ago, a stranger. Ymir probably forced them to move._

" _I am." She answered, observing the drunken, dancing crowd in front of her. Some song she didn't know was on, with enough claps and bass to make anyone want to dance. Well, anyone except for her. And Ymir apparently._

" _I've had too much already." Ymir sputtered, rubbing her temple. "I'm done with the alcohol for the night."_

 _Mikasa didn't say anything. She only nodded._

" _Those guys over there keep checking you out."_

 _Mikasa looked to her right where Ymir was pointing, and saw a group of guys buy the pool table smiling in her direction and waving._

" _Good for them."_

" _They're seniors." Ymir continued. "Old and horny." She laughed out. Whenever she laughed, she laughed loud. It was a trait to her that everyone recognized._

" _Shouldn't you be with Krista?" Mikasa asked._

" _She's somewhere dancing with Marco and Sasha. I had to come sit down for a bit."_

 _Mikasa sighed. "I'm gonna go look for Jean."_

 _Ymir called out something behind her, but Mikasa had already stood up and started to plunge through the crowd of people in Miss Kirstein's home._

 _There were warm bodies touching hers every way she went, and Mikasa began to remember why she rarely ever danced, and why she disliked parties as much as she did._

 _When she made it to the other side, she took a deep breath of fresh air (as fresh as it could get), and started towards the spiral stairs. There were couples laughing, talking, and making out on the stairwell, thinking they were magically invisible to the rest of the world._

 _Mikasa pushed her way past them, not saying excuse me._

 _She hadn't seen Jean in at least an hour. He was roaring drunk at the time, saying fuckboy things in his stupor, talking it up with the senior soccer players, and trying to grab onto her. Mikasa would move away from him some, not wanting to be held onto like that, and Jean told her she wasn't any fun, and walked (stumbled) off._

 _She had no idea where Eren was. Whenever they went to a party, he tended to linger in an area with less people and just as much alcohol and flirt with random girls, sometimes hooking up with one for the night, sometimes just for conversation._

 _When she hit the top of the stairs, she noticed all the people in the hallway. The Kirstein household had three guest bedrooms, and if Mikasa was any bit of smart, she'd bet they were all occupied for the night._

 _There were small groups that eyed her as she walked past. Some were upperclassmen, and some were in their grade. The amount of underclassmen at Jean's parties was always low._

 _The bathroom door was cracked open, and she could smell smoke coming out of there, and hear a few voices._

 _When she reached the end of the hall, she noticed Jean's bedroom door was closed, as was Miss Kirstein's. Before any party, Jean always locked her door and shut it, never opening it until the morning after, because no one was to go fuck in her room, on her bed, or mess up her shit, as he quoted himself._

 _There was a loud bang somewhere down the hall, and people were rushing in and out of the guest bathroom, laughing and taking pictures. Someone had probably fallen and broken something._

 _Deciding she had enough, Mikasa turned to lock herself in Jean's bedroom and she would come out once most of the people left and the night died down._

 _That was the plan, of course._

 _When she opened his bedroom door, she immediately heard moans and the slight sound of a bed creaking._

 _Now this was something she wasn't expecting._

 _Her heart was racing, faster than the healthy amount, and she quickly noted that she felt heavy all of a sudden._

 _Jean quickly moved off the top of the girl (Mikasa didn't recognize her, but she was pretty, big breasted, and probably a senior), and started pulling on his boxers and pants. He was rambling on about something or another, looking frantic and sweaty with his eyes still blown from sex, probably apologizing, but Mikasa couldn't really hear him._

 _She left the doorway quickly, walking down the hallway faster than she had when she was coming up, pushing people out of the way if she had to._

 _She quickly trotted down the stairs, noting that the dancing crowd had gotten larger, and the people were probably drunker._

 _She was speed walking, and she noticed Krista, Sasha, and Marco standing near the kitchen entrance, drinking and fanning themselves._

" _Mikasa, are you alright?" Krista asked when she saw her._

 _Mikasa purposely ignored her, and kept walking._

 _When she stepped out the front door, she ignored the guys sitting in the chairs, cat-calling her._

" _That skirt looks pretty nice on you, girl."_

" _You don't have to be shy."_

 _Mikasa had half a mind to turn around and double flick them off, but she decided to keep walking._

 _She walked towards the side of the house, where a narrow stone pathway led to the backyard, where more people were by the pool, swimming, drinking, and dancing._

" _Mikasa!"_

 _She kept walking when she heard him call her, arms wrapped around herself as the night air started to hit her bare arms._

" _Mikasa, wait!"_

 _She felt a hand on her shoulder, and Mikasa immediately recoiled and turned around._

" _Don't you dare fucking touch me."_

 _Jean was still under the influence, anyone could tell. His eyes were red around the rim, pupils wide, and Mikasa didn't know what all he had consumed that night, but his skin looked flushed._

 _He stepped towards her. "Mikasa, just calm down, and fucking listen!"_

 _He reached out, hands coming down on both her shoulders, and Mikasa didn't hold back as she pushed him away to hit the side of the house._

 _Jean cried out as his back hit the brick wall, hard. He hissed, and Mikasa turned around to walk away again._

" _Let me explain!"_

 _He started towards her again, but Mikasa shucked away before he could lay a hand on her again. "Jean, fucking stop it!"_

" _Just listen for a sec!"_

" _No!"_

 _Jean grabbed her wrists and held them firmly at her sides, standing over her with the small amount of height he had on her._

" _Just calm down!"_

 _Mikasa tried to shift her arms. "Jean, stop!"_

" _Hey!"_

 _Jean let go of Mikasa's arms and quickly turned around. Mikasa backed away and looked ahead of her._

 _Eren was walking (stumbling) toward them, an angry and concerned look on his blushed face._

" _What the fuck is going on here?"_

" _Nothing." Mikasa answered, her voice more shaky than she would care to admit. "I was heading to the back."_

" _Why the fuck did he have his hands on you and you were yelling?" Eren asked, coming to a stop._

" _Eren, it's nothing." Mikasa said, shaking her head._

" _Why the fuck are your pants unzipped!?" Eren yelled, pointing at Jean's crotch._

 _Jean looked down, a look on his face like he didn't even know what pants were, and looked back up. "I-I…It's nothing."_

 _Eren squinted at him. "Were you trying to get at her?"_

" _Oh my god," Mikasa muttered under her breath. "Eren! I said it's nothing."_

" _Why are you crying?" He asked, squinting at her._

 _Mikasa touched her cheek, and pulled her hand away like she had burned it. She hadn't even realized…_

 _She forgot about going to the backyard and breezed past Jean and Eren, leaving them to do or say whatever in their drunken states._

 _This night had turned out to be a disaster, and she had planned on staying the night over there, since Jean would need help cleaning up in the morning, and Eren couldn't go back home drunk. Carla would know._

 _She decided that a walk down the neighborhood would be just fine. Her arms were still wrapped around herself, and when she was a good distance away from the large house on the hill with the loud music and sea of cars, she sniffed, and let herself cry freely._

 _There weren't a lot of tears, just a few here and there, accompanied by sharp inhales and a few sniffles._

 _She couldn't remember the last time she cried…_

888

Mikasa rolled over in bed and sat on the edge, rubbing her temples and biting her bottom lip.

She hated when she was in that state between regular sleep and deep sleep, and she remembered.

That night could have actually progressed to be even worse. Eren was one of those guys who, other than becoming excessively flirtatious, became violent when drunk, and as angry and she was that night, she didn't want Jean to get punched in the face.

Junior year. They had only been in a relationship for three months, and it was mediocre at best. Jean had continuously made passes at her, and eventually she gave in.

She didn't want to think or talk about why, but she just knew that she had.

Even so, being cheated on was a bitter pill to swallow. She sure as hell didn't love Jean like that, no, but still…

After that, she wouldn't speak to him. She tried not to be around him if she didn't have to. Soccer practice? She'd stay far away from him. Friend get together? She'd stay on the opposite side of the room. Eye contact? She wouldn't even look at him.

Eren was angry that night, and angry the next morning when Jean soberly confessed what he did. They're whole group of friends ended up finding out, and everyone was angry with him. Eren was on the brink of fighting him for Mikasa's sake, but Marco talked him out of it, and even Marco was pretty disappointed himself.

One thing Mikasa hated the most was the constant questioning. Are you okay? How do you feel about it? How do you feel about _him_? Do you want to be in a relationship still? Have you talked to him?

The constant questioning was almost as bad as the pity, which was the worst thing that happened. Even Carla, who was never told as to why Mikasa and Jean broke up, would try to do small things like leave some chocolate on her nightstand, or stock up on extra ice cream. She even went so far as to schedule a spa day for them, which Mikasa might have enjoyed more if it wasn't a pretense to hide pity.

On the last day of junior year, Eren told her at lunch that Jean and his mother were going to the countryside for summer break, so she wouldn't have to worry about him being around.

She didn't say anything, only nodded.

Mikasa stood up and stretched. She started with bending over and touching her toes, counting in her head to ten as she did so.

She stood straight and lifted her arms above her head, stretching as tall as she could, before coming back down and sitting on the edge of her bed.

If someone were to ask her how she felt about Jean, she'd do like she always did. She'd look at them, then look away. That seemed to do the trick most of the time. If she was indifferent, people would leave her alone, that included Eren.

When she asked herself how she felt about Jean, she'd think of something else to occupy her time and avoid mentally answering the question, although she already knew, because she was one person and not two and she knew how she felt about him.

The majority of her wanted to believe that Jean never learned, never would, therefore it was senseless to even bother with him anymore. She shouldn't have started talking to him again. She shouldn't have responded to his stupid text messages about him wanting to try again (even though she told herself she did out of sheer curiosity), she shouldn't have even been surprised when the word hit her ears that Jean was still fucking around.

Everything Jean did, he somehow had to end up apologizing to someone in the end. It was the way he functioned. If it wasn't one thing, it was another, and Mikasa highly doubted that he ever tried to balance out his shit with people.

She was tired of being on the end where she had to be apologized to. She didn't want his half-assed apologies, nor did she want him. Those were the things she told herself because Jean would never change.

Yet, she'd think back on elementary and middle school; think about how it wasn't one-sided, and wonder where everything went wrong.

She stood up and padded across her room to her door, slowly opening it (because hers was the only door in the house that creaked), and moved down the hall to Eren's room.

Whenever she needed company, or needed to talk, or couldn't sleep, she'd go to Eren's room. He was a light sleeper, and always woke up as soon as his door was opened.

He'd never ask her what was wrong, because he knew she hated that question. He never asked her what she needed. Sometimes they'd just lie on his bed in silence, him halfway sleep and her just starting to feel the drowsiness, and let his playlist occupy their heads and say words on their behalf.

Then she remembered that she and Eren were not on good terms at the moment, and tucked her hair behind her ears before walking back down the dark hall towards the kitchen.

Eren held grudges. That was something he was good at. Even if he felt highly compelled to just admit his feelings and stop being stubborn, he'd still hold the grudge for the sake of wanting to hurt someone else's feelings, and Mikasa wasn't sure what to make of that. She had never really had that directed at her before. They'd argue, of course, but they'd also make up in a day.

This situation now, concerning Grisha, was new, and Mikasa wasn't sure whether she should be upset with Eren for being unnecessarily upset with her, or just go about her business.

A long time ago, her mother would tell her a story before she went to sleep. She'd read from a book, or recite something from her mind if she could, and every story had a moral.

One of Mikasa's favorite stories had been about the three peas in a pod that vowed to never separate. Until one pea wanted to take that grand journey down a human's throat, where so many before them had gone, and see what it was like.

The other two peas protested, reminding the rebel pea that they'd made a promise to never leave one another.

In the end, the human ended up eating the whole pod, swallowing all three peas. The end.

Mikasa could remember vividly how her mother laughed at her horrified expression. She had said that that wasn't a good story at all, and all the peas got eaten.

Her mom proceeded to tell her that the moral of the story was loyalty, and how it such a precious thing to some, and a silly thing to others.

Mikasa had understood that enough. Loyalty.

She was loyal to Eren and Armin, the two that were with her when everything went wrong. The two she was most comfortable talking with about things that troubled her.

But Eren was developing wanderlust, and Armin was just a few months away from leaving Maria for good, and Mikasa wondered if the pod would be to spacious for just her alone.

This was stupid, she thought; stupid to be thinking about now.

She stood over the sink and looked out the octagon-shaped window in front of her, staring at the neighbor's house across the street, and mulling over nothing in particular, wondering out of Eren, Armin, and herself, which pea was the one that wanted to leave the most.


	7. Chapter 7

"If you think those sloppy columns are gonna cut it, you've lost your mind."

On a one to ten scale, one being chill and ten being 'about to set it off', Eren was at about an eight.

It was Thursday, and Levi was so _graciously_ helping him once again with his Statistics class. They were going over frequency distributions. Mr. Moor had assigned more homework on the subject under the statement that 'you're all going to fail if you don't get more practice.'

Eren believed it, oh yes he did, and when he told Levi, he believed it as well.

So here they were, sitting at the kitchen table, inefficiently trying not to bite each other's heads off.

Tuesday's session had gone just fine, but today, on this fine, warm Thursday evening, Levi must have felt like getting in Eren's ass.

"Is this good enough?" Eren mumbled, sliding his notebook across the table littered in eraser shavings. He needed to make a note to clean that later, or Carla would be mad.

Levi rotated the notebook, and picked it up with both hands, as he always did, and studied it with unblinking eyes.

Eren could feel his chest constricting, and he bit his bottom lip to calm himself, because, so help him Alex Turner, if Levi told him one more goddamn time that he needed to…

"Start over."

Levi quickly slid the notebook back to Eren. There was a red circle around a section of math that Eren hadn't even seen Levi make, and he cursed under his breath.

"Wouldn't it just be easier to tell me what I'm doing wrong instead of this?" Eren asked, throwing his hands up in frustration.

Levi sat across from him with one leg resting on top of a knee, and arms crossed over his chest. He was looking right at him.

"Of course it would be, but this is the best way for you to learn. Evaluate your own mistakes and work it out."

Eren groaned. "It's already seven thirty! You're past your tutoring time."

Levi squinted. "It was you that divulged that you had a quiz tomorrow on frequency distributions, correct?"

Eren exhaled. "Yes, bu-

"And it's me whom your mother asked for help, so here I am helping, and here you are complaining."

Eren wanted to scream. Levi was in some kind of mood today. Eren could tell as soon as he let the man in earlier that today must not have been a good day for him. He was still in his work clothes, and had a briefcase with him.

He wasn't necessarily being mean to Eren, but he wanted to make sure he was thorough, and Eren couldn't really be mad about that, hell, he _needed_ to pass.

"Look, there was surprise soccer practice today, I have an English project due tomorrow that I've been procrastinating on, and you keep telling me that everything I'm doing is wrong, so of course I'm gonna be a little snippy today."

Levi's eyes widened momentarily. "Alright, battle of the schedules? Okay. I have fifteen new applicants at the firm I work at to evaluate and interview for a mere internship, I have loans to pay, bills to pay, a car that needs gas, and a teenager who can't differentiate a zig-zag from a straight line and I'm a little _more_ than snippy."

The two were staring each other down, Levi obviously waiting for Eren to make his move, and Eren trying to process what to say.

Then Levi shifted in his chair and set his foot back on the floor. He sighed deeply and spoke.

"Look, sorry about that. I didn't mean to make your problems seem less significant than mine, but everyone has things on their plate, Eren. I know you're pissed, but you've got to make a little more effort to do better here, so you can at least pass your quiz tomorrow. I'm not looking for an A, or maybe even a B, but you know the information, you know what you're doing, you're just not focusing."

Eren absorbed his words and slowly sat back in his chair. "What am I doing wrong?"

"It's not what you're doing wrong; it's what you're just not doing. What you can do, you do well."

Eren looked at Levi, who was looking directly at him, and it was weird.

"Hm, that almost sounded like a compliment."

Levi smirked. "I have to get into heaven somehow."

Eren laughed, and it was genuine. Not terse or feigned. "But really, what am I just not doing?"

Eren watched Levi look at his notebook again, then look back at him. "The reason you're getting off answers is because you're not adding up all your data."

Eren looked back at his work and furrowed his eyebrows. He could've sworn…

"Oh!" He blurted, then laughed sharply. "My bad. I'm stupid."

Levi shook his head curtly. "You're not stupid. You're just not focusing."

888

It wasn't until eight thirty that Levi left.

He parted, saying that he really didn't want to leave until he was comfortable with Eren's work, but that he had work of his own to do, and Eren agreed by saying that his English project wasn't going to do itself, and Carla waved Levi away at the threshold, and waited until Levi was safely inside his own home to close the door.

When she turned around, she called out. "Hey, Eren?"

Eren was getting his school supplies off the table, which he still needed to clean, and walked into the living room.

"Yeah?"

"I don't feel like cooking." She whined. "How about Chinese."

Eren straightened. "Yes! Yes, oh god yes!"

Carla laughed. "Easy there. You'll make me think you don't like my cooking."

Eren smiled. "No ma. It's just that Chinese would be perfect on a day like this."

"Alright. I'm ordering from _Yums_. Go ask Mikasa what she wants."

When Carla said ' _Yums_ ' Eren had started dancing, albeit awkwardly with arms full of school shit, but when she said 'Mikasa', he froze.

He didn't want to tell his mother that he and Mikasa still weren't really talking to each other. It's not like she didn't already know they were tense, but he didn't want to stress her out even more than he was sure she already was.

Sometimes, he wondered just how his mom dealt with everything she did. Eren knew he gave her a hard time, and when things were shitty with Mikasa, that worried her more. Now this situation with Grisha; he wasn't sure how she managed.

"Okay," was all he said as he turned around and headed down the hall.

He kicked open his bedroom door and put his Stats notebook and complements back in his bookbag, and exhaled heavily when he headed across the hall to Mikasa's door.

He knocked three times, like always, and heard some shifting, then the door cracked open.

Mikasa didn't open the door all the way, and she stuck her head out. "Yeah?"

"We're getting _Yums_. You want anything?"

"Only if Annie can have some."

Eren raised an eyebrow. "My wife is coming over?"

Mikasa smirked (Eren didn't admit he was glad to see this). "Stop calling her that, and yes. She needs help with some English homework."

Eren shrugged. "Cool. But you gotta be the one to ask mom."

Mikasa nodded once. "Alright."

Eren turned to go back to his room while Mikasa went down the hall to talk to Carla. She came back a short time later, and leaned in Eren's doorway.

"Mom said it's cool. She's gonna order when Annie gets here. Did you already tell her what you want?"

Eren was sitting at his desk, breezing through his English project, and swiveled around in his chair. "Oh, she knows what I want," he said in a tone that made Mikasa laugh.

"Sweet and sour pork on fried rice." She stated.

"I'll be paying for it in the morning, but I'll be okay."

"Just remember to use air freshener this time." Mikasa said, then she closed Eren's door.

Eren laughed, and turned back around to do his work. That was the closest thing to a conversation that he and Mikasa had had in a while.

888

"I know damn well you did not leave these eraser shavings all over my nice kitchen table!"

Eren cursed with a mouth full of egg roll when he quickly picked up a paper towel and ran to the kitchen table to clean.

Everyone decided to eat at the island instead, and a light drizzle had started outside. It went hand in hand with the humid weather they had earlier that day. Eren was almost praying it would rain so they wouldn't have to go through with that surprise practice, but no such luck.

"Annie, how's your father?" Carla asked, taking small bites of her food.

Annie shrugged. "He's good I guess."

Carla only nodded. Eren was thankful she didn't ask any more of that.

"And how's school been going?"

There were three simultaneous answers of 'alright' and 'crappy' and 'I wanna gouge my eyes out.'

"Eren Jaeger you will not gouge your eyes out." Carla laughed, "And why is it horrible, Annie?"

She shrugged again. "I really don't know. I honestly feel like senior year is a joke."

Eren nodded, already agreeing, even though he wasn't quite sure what Annie was speaking of.

"A joke?" Carla inquired.

"Yeah, you know, like, the classes really aren't challenging anymore. I'm tired of looking at the same people, and the teachers are pretty much just trying to get to graduation as badly as we are."

Mikasa hummed, and Carla nodded.

"What about college? Are you still trying to go to Dawk?"

Eren rolled his eyes. College. Dawk U. Definitely not something he wanted to talk about right now.

"If I can, but I'm seriously considering the air force."

Eren whined. "Don't go."

"Who am I supposed to complain to?" Mikasa added.

Annie smirked. "We all have lives to live. It'll be fine though. You guys know I'll visit."

"It won't be the same." Eren countered.

Carla interjected. "Do what your heart desires."

"Thank you Nicholas Sparks," Eren said quickly, then turned back to Annie. "We're married. You can't go anywhere."

"I thought you were married to Krista?" Annie asked, raising an eyebrow.

"We divorced last year. Once she became open with Ymir, I knew it was over. It was already on the slopes."

Mikasa was laughing behind her hand, and Carla was vigorously shaking her head from side to side.

"You always had a little thing for Krista."

Eren felt his face go hot. "Only for a little bit in middle school."

"All of middle school." Mikasa added.

"And high school." Annie joined.

"Might as well start planning for the future too." Carla concluded, laughing as she did so.

Eren lowered his eyes and started stuffing his mouth with pork, but even he couldn't stop himself from smiling.

"Ymir was always better for her anyway." He said after he swallowed.

"You're not fooling anyone." Annie sing-songed.

Eren rolled his eyes again. "Look, I think she's hot, okay?"

Carla gasped. "Eren! You're not supposed to call a girl hot."

"Oh, excuse me. Krista is a physical representation of an invisible thing called temperature. If I could describe the temperature, it would be quite…warm."

Annie and Mikasa were silently laughing and sniffing through their noses for air. Carla stared Eren down.

"I don't know where you came from."

888

It was ten o'clock when Annie and Mikasa were barging in his bedroom with no previous warning.

"I could have been naked in here," Eren argued, swiveling around in his desk chair. "Or worse."

"You could have been jerking it." Annie stated. "Were you jerking it? I won't get close to your desk, I promise."

Eren threw an eraser at her, which she dodged, and the two girls sat on Eren's bed.

"Why the fuck are you still here?"

"I have important stuff to tell your sorry ass."

"Stuff like?"

Annie laid back on Eren's bed, shirt rising up a bit, but she didn't fix it. "Connie's mom is sick."

Eren immediately felt his heart drop. Not Ms. Springer.

"Sick how?" He asked quietly.

"Some kind of bone disorder. The doctors haven't diagnosed it yet, but they think it's a form of leukemia."

"Oh my god," Eren said, more to himself than anything else. "She's in the hospital?"

"Yeah." Mikasa answered. "Connie's been having to take care of the twins and look after his mom."

"But he's missed school all week!" Eren yelled, then lowered his voice because he didn't want to wake his mother. "Annie, how'd you find this out?"

"From Bert. You know his mom's a nurse at Maria Hospital. She told him she saw Connie there, and asked what was wrong. Apparently Connie doesn't look too good either."

Eren's mouth was slightly opened as he listened to the explanation. "Do you know what floor? Which room?"

"Text Bert and ask him for the details. He might not know either, so he may need to ask his mom. Either way, she said Connie wasn't looking good. We need to go see them."

Eren nodded earnestly. "Tomorrow after school."

888

At lunch the next day, the whole group was discussing the proper measures of how to go about this.

"I think that's a good idea, Marco."

Marco nodded towards Armin. "Thanks. So, do we all agree?"

Everyone nodded. Ymir muttered. "It's fine by me."

"Okay," Reiner said, clapping his hands together. "How about me, Bertolt, Ymir, Annie, and Armin all go tomorrow?"

Everyone previously mentioned nodded in agreement.

"I don't have anything on my schedule," Armin said. "What time are we going to the hospital then?"

"Six-ish alright?" Reiner asked, looking around the table. Everyone nodded.

"Then me, Krista, Mikasa, Jean, Sasha, and Eren will all go today."

They all agreed.

Marco had suggested it'd be better if they split up and went in groups to visit Connie and his mom, so they wouldn't be too overwhelmed. The first group mentioned would go on Saturday, and the group Eren was in was going after school.

Eren looked farther down the table at Sasha. She was sitting where she always did; the end next to where Connie usually sat at the head of the table, but she was unusually quiet. This whole news about Connie probably wasn't sitting well with her.

"Six o'clock for us too." Marco added. "Should we take anything?"

"Anything like what?" Jean asked.

"Any groceries we can get, paper towels. Things of that sort. I mean, with Ms. Springer being hospitalized, and Connie having to man the house, they might need more basic supplies."

"Nina and Kai might need a few things as well." Krista added, then smiled, clapping Marco on the shoulder. "That's a really good idea!"

Eren agreed. "So, what store are we all meeting up at?"

"How about the one right around the corner from the hospital?" Mikasa suggested.

"That'll work!" Marco chirped. "All right. It sounds like a plan."

"I really do hope he's doing okay."

Everyone at the table shifted and turned their heads to look at the source of the voice.

Sasha straightened as if she just realized that she said anything out loud. "Oh, um, I mean, I really do hope Ms. Rosie is doing well, but Connie too. We haven't talked all week, and that's really unusual for us…"

Marco smiled warmly. "We know."

888

Eren and Jean were carrying toilet paper, and Mikasa had two handfuls of groceries. Sasha, Krista, and Marco were still in the grocery store, making sure they didn't miss anything they could possibly buy for the twins.

"Eren, reach in my back pocket and get my keys." Jean said, sticking his butt out a bit.

Eren cringed. "Our same-sex platonic relationship is already questionable enough as is. I don't need you doing this in public."

Jean cackled. "Shut the hell up and do it."

"If I go in to fast I might hurt you." Eren warned in a soft tone. Mikasa was red in the face from trying not to laugh too hard in a public setting. Jean was trying unsuccessfully to frown.

"Jaeger…"

"Okay, alright, chill." Eren laughed. He reached a hand back and picked Jean's keys out by the ring.

"Where'd we park again?" He asked, squinting at the parking lot.

"Hold the clicker up and unlock it."

Eren did as Jean told him, and they heard a clear, sharp sounding alarm going off.

"Lane 4." Mikasa said, already starting in that direction.

The weather was still humid. Eren didn't mind warm weather. He certainly liked it better than the cold, but humidity made everything sticky and look hazy and it was gross.

When the trio got to Jean's corvette, Eren unlocked the trunk and but their purchases in. They decided to wait in the car until Marco and the others came out.

"Hey, do you guys think Sasha's alright?" Jean asked, looking straightforward from the driver's seat.

Eren sighed. "I don't know. I know she's worried, but so are the rest of us."

Mikasa was looking out the window. "It's weird that Connie didn't tell her what was going on."

Eren and Jean looked at her with wide eyes.

Mikasa turned towards Jean, then shifted in her seat and looked back at Eren. She bit her lip as if she let some information slip that she wasn't supposed to.

"You know those two are a duo." She added.

"Yeah." Jean agreed. "And if anything's going on, Sasha's normally the first to know."

Eren hummed. "I wonder why he didn't tell her."

Mikasa clicked her tongue. "Maybe he didn't want to bother anyone. I mean, he didn't tell any of us."

"I feel bad now." Jean said, shaking his head. "We should have talked to him sooner, instead of waiting a fucking week to find out from Bert's mom that something's wrong."

Neither of the other two said anything to that, because Jean was right. They all had dropped the ball on this one, and Eren made a mental note to apologize to Connie for not contacting him sooner.

It's not that they didn't care, but there was rarely ever anything seriously wrong with Connie that required group interventions. It's like there was nothing that fazed him; nothing that could bring him down.

When Mr. Springer passed away, Eren saw Connie cry a little at the funeral, and the graveyard. He had been standing in front of his mother, who was wearing stark black shades, holding the twins in her arms. Both her and Connie's lips were turned far downward in that trademark way they always did when they were displeased.

Other than that, Eren couldn't think of a time where Connie wasn't Connie. Maybe that one time when he raged and broke his PlayStation, but he got a new one, so he wasn't mad for long.

Eren was broken from his thoughts when he heard high pitched giggling (Krista's), and Sasha talking.

Marco was opening the trunk to his car, and they were loading in tons of bags.

Jean started his car and rolled down Mikasa's window. "Holy crap. What all did you buy?"

Marco answered. "We got more snacks for the twins. Krista and I were arguing what snacks to buy. She seems to think junk food is what they need." He ended that sentence with an eye roll in the accused person's direction.

Krista closed the trunk. "Hey! They could use some junk food at a time like this."

Marco ignored her. "We ended up going half-and-half."

"They're not gonna eat that damn celery, Marco."

Marco, once again, ignored her. "And Sasha picked up some more groceries."

Mikasa raised an eyebrow. "I thought I bought enough."

Sasha smiled. "I bought more. I'm going to make it my business to go over to their house after school and cook for them. They need a home cooked meal."

Eren smiled. That was just like Sasha.

"Are we ready then?" Jean asked, revving his engine.

Marco waved his hands. "Okay. Impatient much? My smart car barely revs."

He proved his point by getting situated in his box car, and laughing at the put-put sounds it made.

"Save the environment!" Jean yelled out the window. He rolled it up, and backed out of the parking lot.

Since it was five o'clock, the traffic was insane. It took them what seemed like forever to get out of the parking lot, much less make it around the corner to the hospital.

The Killers' 'Smile Like You Mean It' was playing loudly in Jean's small car. Eren loved The Killers, but this song in specific always made him feel a little sad.

Granted, that didn't stop him from singing it in the loudest, off-tune voice he could muster. Mikasa was silently giggling, and Jean had joined in, just as off-tune.

"Dreams aren't what they used to be!" Jean sang. He lifted a hand from the steering wheel and pointed at Mikasa. "Take it away!"

She didn't hesitate. "Some things sat by so carelessly."

Eren knew it was his turn. "Smile like you mean it!"

All three were humming the guitar riff and singing the lyrics. Mikasa was the only one that actually sounded nice. Eren and Jean were laying waste to the song, and not in a good way.

Jean stopped singing. "Hey! You know The Killers might be at Spring Fest."

Mikasa snapped her head to the left and stared at Jean with wide eyes. Eren gasped and placed a hand dramatically over his heart.

"Yeah," Jean added, smirking. "I'm not kidding."

"Fuck it." Eren said, throwing his hands up. "We're going. There's no choice. When are they releasing the line-up anyway?"

"Not until January." Jean said, shaking his head quickly.

"I wanna go, like seriously. It's during spring break, and it's also my birthday. That's my present right there. A ticket to Spring Fest with all my favorite friends."

"Oh Jean, I guess that means you can't go." Mikasa chimed, smirking deviously in his direction.

Jean smiled back at her. "Yeah. I'm out."

"That would be amazing. Just our group of friends, miles away for Spring Break, celebrating my eighteenth with awesome bands and alcohol."

"Where are you getting the alcohol from?" Mikasa asked.

Eren tsked. "Ymir, of course. We just give her the money, and she gives it to Ilse."

For the remainder of the ride, the three talked about Spring Break, and how they could possibly ever convince their parents to let them leave town for three days.

The hospital parking lot was crowded, and as was the parking garage. Marco had been driving right behind Jean, and when both of them veered into the garage, Jean raced for the very last empty spot on the first floor.

All three of them in the corvette were laughing, and Eren nearly died when Marco rolled by and Sasha rolled down her window, shouting obscenities and fashioning her hand in a gun fashion.

"Bring yo self, fool!" She yelled.

Marco sped to the second floor of the garage. "I hope they can find a space." Jean said, still laughing.

Mikasa was laughing too. Eren thought it was weird, but nice. She seemed to be in a much better mood today. She was even talking and laughing with Jean like shit hadn't hit the fan just a few weeks ago for them.

"Alright." Jean said. "Let's go."

888

Krista had also bought flowers.

The group decided to leave their groceries in the car. They'd let Connie bring his truck in the parking garage later and grab all the items.

They were laughing through their noses at some horrible joke Jean made, making sure to pad quietly down the freshly polished hospital floor.

"Which room is it?" Krista whispered.

"417." Marco responded in a quieter whisper.

Eren wasn't trying to be nosey, but when he passed hospital rooms, he looked inside to find older people folded up in their beds, their televisions playing something they weren't even watching. It was a sad scene.

"Here we are." Marco said. They all stopped and looked at each other, taking a deep breath for preparation. Sasha looked the worst of the lot. Eren thought he saw her hands shaking for a second.

Marco knocked three times.

It took a short moment, but soon the door slowly pulled open, to reveal a short girl with long, thick hair holding a notebook.

"Sasha!" She cooed. She broke past everyone else and group hugged Sasha, Krista, and Mikasa. Eren, Marco, and Jean waited their turn for hugs.

"You look so pretty today, Nina." Sasha complimented.

"My big brothers!" Nina cried, seemingly just noticing that they guys were there. She hugged all of them tightly.

"That's some grip you have, Nina." Jean said.

Before she could respond, there was a voice calling from the hospital room.

"Nina? Where'd you go?"

It was Connie. He stopped abruptly when he noticed the rest standing in the hallway.

He seemed to study them all carefully, as if he hadn't seen them in ages, or had never seen them at all. His eyes were wide.

"We come bearing gifts." Krista said, inflection at the end of her sentence. She held up the flowers as an example.

For a moment, Connie didn't say anything. Nina was still clinging to Jean's legs while she stared back at her brother.

All of a sudden, Eren noticed Connie's chin tremble, and a big smile lifted his face.

"You guys…you guys are amazing."

Sasha stepped forward first, pulling Connie into a tight embrace. Marco joined them a moment afterwards, hugging them both from the side.

Eren heard Connie sniffle, but his face was buried into to the crook of Sasha's neck. Marco was whispering something in his ear.

Mikasa turned around and stared at the eggshell colored wall as if there was something interesting on it. She cleared her throat twice.

Jean was patting Nina's shoulder, biting his bottom lip for reasons Eren already knew. It was the same reason Mikasa was facing the wall, and the same reason Eren's throat felt tight.

Krista was standing off the side, fresh tears welling in her blue eyes. She seemed to be the only one content with shedding tears publicly.

Connie pulled away from Sasha and Marco, using his jacket sleeve to wipe his eyes.

"Sorry about that." He laughed out dryly. "You guys come in."

Nina broke away from Jean and latched herself to Connie. Marco let those two go in the room first before they followed.

Miss Rosie's room was spacious and private. The large window had the blinds pulled away so that they were overlooking the horizon of Maria.

Kai was seated on the large window sill slash air conditioner, fully focused on a comic book.

Miss Rosie almost squealed when she saw them walk in. "Oh! Marco, Sasha, Krista, Mikasa, Jean, Eren, all of you, what on earth are you doing here?"

"To visit you, of course." Eren answered.

Miss Rosie laughed. "You are all too sweet for your own good, keep that up. Find somewhere to sit! I'm sorry there aren't enough chairs…"

"Ma, it's fine." Sasha said. She leaned down to hug Miss Rosie.

"Sasha, you can have my chair." Connie offered.

The group got situated. Eren was alright with leaning against the wall so Krista and Sasha could have a chair. Marco, Mikasa, and Jean were seated on the window sill with the twins. Mikasa had Kai in her lap, talking to him quietly about his comic. Nina was in Jean's lap, poking each and every one of Marco's freckles that she could.

Connie came and stood next to Eren while his mother conversed with the girls.

"How is she?" Eren asked quietly.

Connie exhaled heavily. "Weak, but better since she was admitted."

Eren didn't know if he should be asking this, but he already knew, so he was going to go for broke. "What exactly happened?"

Connie, surprisingly with no hesitation, told Eren the whole story. Miss Rosie had been feeling ill the past few weeks, leaving her house-bound. It wasn't until the past Sunday that Connie had to bring her to the hospital. Her ankles had swollen, and she was experiencing shortness of breath.

Kai was the one that found her, hunched over her bathroom sink, clutching her chest.

Apparently, Miss Rosie had been sick for a while. She had disguised it well enough to the point where no one at work noticed she was ill, not even her own children.

Months ago, her doctor had told her she was exhibiting symptoms that pointed to bone cancer, except Miss Rosie didn't want to hear that and took no previous precaution.

By the time Connie finished telling Eren the story, he looked mad. Eren understood the anger. He would be pissed if his mother was sick and didn't tell him or Mikasa.

Miss Rosie was still laughing and chatting with the group. Kai was still talking to Mikasa. He was the carbon copy of Connie, with his short hair and crème colored skin, but his personality was the opposite. He was quite shy, and he seemed to get along with Mikasa best.

Nina was the opposite of both Kai and Connie. She wasn't as wild, and she wasn't as timid, but somewhere in the middle. She loved it when Connie's whole group of friends came over to their house. Her being quite the social butterfly, she had fun with them, and always managed to convince Kai to join in with their antics.

Her hair was thick; the same color as Connie's, while Kai's was black, like Mr. Springer's had been.

"I'm sorry I didn't talk to you earlier." Eren blurted. Connie raised an eyebrow, then laughed.

"Hey man, it's alright. I was gonna tell you guys, I just didn't know when. I wanted to at least wait until we found some kind of development with mom's illness."

"But still," Eren continued, "you've been gone all week."

"It's okay, Eren," Connie said. "Really. Is Coach pissed at me?"

Eren hummed in thought. "I think she's a little peeved, but more so concerned about you not being at school, much less practice."

Connie's smile faded slowly. "Soccer. About that…"

"Eren, sweetheart, come over here!"

Miss Rosie was calling for him, and Eren gave Connie a look that said 'hold that thought' and went over to her bedside.

They were there until a little after seven. Marco announced that they had stopped at the grocery store to pick up a few things for them. When Miss Rosie teared up, Nina started sniffling, as well as Kai, and both hung on to Connie's legs.

It took another ten minutes for Miss Rosie to convince Connie to go home with the twins.

"Connie, you need to go back to school." She said knowingly.

"But ma…"

"I'll be just fine right here, but you have a diploma to get, right?" She smiled. Her smile was small, just like her face and frame. "Go on."

Connie and the twins hugged their mom before they left. "I'll be back tomorrow."

The made a sight as they left. All people could see was a crowd of teenagers and two children, laughing quietly as they moved through the quiet halls.

When they made it outside the hospital, Sasha spoke up.

"I'll help take the groceries back to your truck." She said to Connie.

"Can Sasha come over?" Nina asked Connie with big, brown eyes. Kai nodded.

Connie looked at Sasha fondly. "Um, only if she wants to. You can ride with us."

Eren smirked and eyed Marco, who was looking right back at him with a similar look.

Sasha smiled. "Yes! I mean, sure."

"Cool. I'll take you home later. Hey, Marco, where'd you park?"

"On the second floor because Jean took my parking space." He answered.

Jean pointed a finger to the sky. "Hmm let's see. 'Cowens.' 'McCaurther.' 'Yulee.' 'Doctors parking.' 'Nurses parking.' I don't see a fucking spot for 'Bodt' anywhere here."

Everyone burst into laughter, including the twins.

"That was a bad word." Kai said quietly, making everyone laugh harder.

"Sorry." Jean said, waving his hands. "It was. Don't be like me."

By the end of it, everyone helped load Connie's truck with the items they bought from the grocery store. The twins were elated when Krista pulled out bags of snacks, just for them.

Sasha waved out the passenger as Connie drove out the garage.

Krista spoke up first. "I really hope Miss Rosie's gonna be okay."

"Connie says the doctors are still diagnosing her." Eren added.

"Did you see how Sasha and Connie interacted tonight?" Jean asked.

Marco smiled. "They've missed each other."

888

They all rode to get milkshakes from _Swively's_ afterwards.

They were at a curved booth, perfectly acquainting their small group. It was a Friday night, and the place was nicely crowded with people of all ages.

Marco was on the edge with Krista next to him. Jean and Mikasa were sitting next to each other…talking, because…shit, just because. Eren was on the other end, listening in on both pair's conversations and watching the people around him at the same time.

"Have you guys noticed anything off with Bert and Reiner?" Krista asked, reeling in everyone's attention.

Eren sucked air in through his teeth, making a face. "Yeah. You remember the other day at lunch when Reiner was telling us about _possibly_ committing to Dawk U…"

"And Bert didn't say anything." Marco finished, shaking his head. "Has Bert said anything about college football?"

"No." Jean answered. "I haven't heard him say anything about college."

Krista countered. "Sometimes he talks about med-school."

Mikasa nodded.

"I hope this isn't creating some kind of rift between them," Marco continued. "They've liked each other for the longest, and just got together this year."

Krista shrugged. "So much is going on."

Eren looked at her. "How are you and Ymir?"

She smiled sadly. "We're alright. But you know, she's just being…Ymir-ish."

"Like?" Jean prodded.

Krista shook her head. "Nothing bad or anything, but she's so...so…"

"Protective." Mikasa finished, taking a sip of her shake.

Everyone looked at Mikasa with questioning expressions. She sighed.

"Ymir and I talk."

Krista shrieked, earning attention from other customers. Jean glared at a few guys at a distant table who were looking at their table, specifically Mikasa, and smiling.

"What did she say?"

Mikasa smirked. "I swore on my life I wouldn't repeat anything she said. But don't worry," she added quickly when she saw Krista's dejected expression. "She loves you like crazy. That's all that matters."

Krista was still trying to coax information out of Mikasa when Eren felt his phone vibrate in his pocket.

He pulled it out and saw the first few words of a text message scrolling across his screen preceded by an unfamiliar number. He quickly unlocked his phone and went to his messages.

 **(217)-648-9698 – Fri. 8:03 pm**

' _Hello, Eren. I'm sorry if I interrupted you from visiting your friend at the hospital. I just got off work a while ago and I went over to see if you were home. Your mom said you were visiting a friend at the hospital because his mother is sick, but she insisted I have your number. I was just going to see if you had your Stats quiz graded already.'_

 **(217)-648-9698 – Fri. 8:04 pm**

' _This is Levi by the way.'_

Eren was absolutely not grinning like fool in public while re-reading Levi's text over and over again. He was not, I say. Not.

I am a liar.

Eren was well aware of his shit-eating grin. He could feel it gracing his face. He didn't want to think about why, but he just knew he had one.

He saved Levi's number as just 'Levi,' and text him back.

 **Jaegerbomb – Fri. 8:06 pm**

' _It's cool. We already left the hospital and we're getting shakes right now. At Swively's. Is Farlan not working tonight?'_

 **Levi – Fri. 8:09 pm**

' _He's not. He mentioned seeing you there with a group of people before. He said you all ordered nasty flavored shakes.'_

 **Jaegerbomb – Fri. 8:10 pm**

' _I actually just laughed out loud. They weren't nasty flavors. It's called being creative.'_

 **Levi – Fri. 8:11 pm**

' _I've known him longer, so I'm going to take his word for it. You didn't answer my question about your quiz..'_

 **Jaegerbomb – Fri. 8:12 pm**

' _Sry! He said they won't be graded until sometime next week.'_

 **Levi – Fri. 8:13 pm**

' _Alright. How do you think you did?'_

"Eren?"

"Huh?" Eren said, looking up from his phone. It was Marco talking to him.

"I asked if you were done with your shake."

"Oh!" Eren felt embarrassed. "Yeah. Look, everyone's shake is on me."

Krista sat back in her chair. "Well well well, what do we have here?"

"Is Eren actually…paying for something?" Mikasa asked.

"He decided to come off his ass and chip in."

"If you guys are going to be so ungrateful, don't ever expect me to pay for anything again." Eren joked, grabbing their ticket and walking to the register.

He paid, and Jean continuously made jokes about Eren's 'night job finally paying off.'

Eren responded with something along the lines of 'you're one of my frequent clients.'

That earned a roar of laughter from everyone, including Jean.

Marco pulled out the parking lot to take Krista home, and when the famous trio was situated in Jean's car, Jean spoke.

"Alright. Anywhere else?"

Eren shook his head. "Nah."

"No." Mikasa answered.

Jean started in the direction towards home. He had The Killers on again, and was quietly talking with Mikasa, who was actually looking at him and responding.

Eren didn't have a sheet of paper with tally marks of how many times Jean and Mikasa fell out and fell back in again, but maybe he should because this had to the be the thousandth fucking ti-

'Oh!' He thought. He had forgotten to text Levi back. He fished his phone out his pocket and started typing.

 **Jaegerbomb – Fri. 8:30 pm**

' _I think I did okay. That's it. Just okay. It's probably a C like you said.'_

When Levi didn't respond quickly enough, Eren shrugged and slipped his phone back in his pocket. He looked out his window, listened to the music, sang along in his head, and let Jean and Mikasa talk.

888

Carla was laying on the couch, watching _Brokeback Mountain_ when Eren and Mikasa walked in.

"Mom, I'm worried about you."

' _All we got is goddamn Brokeback Mountain!'_

"Ah!" Carla yelled. "That's my favorite part!"

Mikasa spoke. "Hold on, let me change and I'll come watch it with you."

"I'll pass." Eren said, even though no one asked him.

Carla paused the movie and sat up. "How's Miss Rosie? What's wrong with her?"

Eren puffed out a breath. "It's looking like bone cancer. Her blood cells aren't functioning properly. White or red."

Carla looked sad. "Jesus. How's Connie and the twins?"

"Connie looks tired." Eren answered. Despite what he just said, he sat in the chair adjacent from the couch, slipping off his shoes. "The twins are fine."

"When is he going to go back to school?"

"Hopefully next week. When we were leaving, Miss Rosie was telling him he needed to go back."

"What'd they say about the groceries?"

"Miss Rosie cried. Connie looked really appreciative, in his own way."

Carla nodded. "I'm glad. I'll make some time to go visit her soon. Work has been a killer."

"How are the children?" Eren asked.

"Hyper and lovely." Carla answered. "With the expansion of the daycare, and influx of children being born, it's like a hoard of children."

Eren laughed. "Don't refer to people's kids as hoards."

"I'm sorry." She laughed. "But there are a lot of them. They're so sweet, though.

Carla ran a rather large daycare, and children of all demographics went there. Krista was considering applying for a job there. 'Maria's Ridge' it was called, and Carla had thousands of pictures on her phone of her and little kids, covered in paint, or food, or some kind of craft.

It's what she was good at. She had a thing for kids, and kids loved her. Carla had been the head of the daycare for six years now, and she never wanted to trade it for anything.

"I miss when you were a baby." Carla said, a longing look in her eyes.

Eren cringed. "Ew."

Mikasa came back out, and sat on the couch next to Carla, and they all watched _Brokeback Mountain._

Truthfully, Eren had never watched the movie. He heard what it was about, and didn't really think it was for him. But as he sat there watching it unfold, he realized how deep the story was, and how fucking sad it was.

When the credits started rolling, Eren looked over and watched Carla dry her eyes with her hands.

"The ending gets me every time."

"That was really sad." Eren stated. "I mean, really fu-friggen sad."

"It's sad how this movie was set to take place in the sixties, yet the same kind of hate against gays is still present." Carla said. "It's sad."

Eren agreed. He checked his phone, and saw that Levi still hadn't text him back. Carla and Mikasa had started talking, and Eren turned around and looked through the blinds of the window. He looked at the house across the street, as if that would answer his question as to why Levi hadn't text him back.

 **Levi – Fri. 11:26 pm**

' _Sorry I took so long to text you back. I dozed off. That's what happens when you work all day. But regarding the quiz, I'm sure you did well.'_

Eren was lying on his bed, listening to soft music and drifting off when his phone buzzed. He smiled warmly when he read the message.

 **Jaegerbomb – Fri. 11:28 pm**

' _It's ok. And thanks_

It could have been the fact that he was drifting between being asleep and being awake, or he the fact that he was just a plain idiot (most like the latter), but yes, he sent that last message with a smiley face…to a grown man…who probably hardly liked him at all.

Eren sat up suddenly, the weight of what he just did just hitting him. He looked at his message with hopeless eyes. He wished there was a way he could take his text message back and edit it, then re-send it.

He and Armin could do it. They could totally do it. They could make it. Armin was into all that Multi-media stuff. He could learn how to make an app, and together, they could save the world, and make hellah money.

"Stupid fucking idiot." Eren chided himself.

When his phone buzzed again, he unlocked it with the speed of someone who rushing out of school at the final bell.

 **Levi – Fri. 11:31 pm**

' _Well, I have work in the morning, unfortunately. It's like my job can't call any other accountants to help them do their shit? Do you actually even mind me cursing? I hope not, because I hate filtering myself. Anyway, goodnight.'_

For some reason, Eren was laughing. He was genuinely laughing. It was weird. This was just Levi. But as Eren read his message, he could actually hear him saying it. Levi had this scatterbrained way of talking, and Eren found it funny.

 **Jaegerbomb – Fri. 11:33 pm**

' _I'm an avid curser, so no I don't mind if you curse. But have a good day at work tomorrow. Good night.'_

Levi didn't text him back for the next ten minutes, so Eren laid his phone on his bedside table, turned off his lamp, and let the music carry him to sleep.

He didn't disregard how unusually warm he was, or how he was still smiling.


	8. Chapter 8

Come Monday, life seemed to be getting back to its normal course.

By the grace and mercy of all that is holy and with the support of his ancestors, Eren made an 81 on his Statistics quiz.

Mr. Moore had started the class by passing out quizzes, and while Jean was sitting there quietly picking at his nail, Eren was sure that World War III was about to take place in his body because he was more on edge than he could ever remember being for a class and a grade and there was no way in hell that he passed because he was stupid and…

"82." He whispered when his paper floated on his desk. He picked it up with two trembling hands. "Jean, I…I got an 82!"

Eren looked over at Jean, who was nonchalantly chewing his gum and looking back at him.

"That's great." He said flatly.

Eren deflated some. "What did you get?"

Jean was probably in the same grade range as him. Truthfully, they kind of cheated. Okay, let me rephrase: Jean cheated. He was glancing over at Eren's quiz, and Eren didn't make any kind of effort to stop him.

Eren deflated even more when he looked at Jean's quiz. "How the hell did you get a…

"94." Jean said, smirking.

Eren looked incredulous. "You were looking at my paper!"

Jean shrugged. "The odds were in my favor, I guess. What is it that you say? My ancestors were with me."

Eren snorted. "You mean your horse family?"

Jean snapped. "Screw you, Jaeger."

888

When Eren got home, he was thrilled to find that he had no homework on the agenda, and he was wandering aimlessly around the house trying to find something to do.

He resigned to settling on the couch and flipping the channels when he suddenly got a bright idea.

"No." He said to himself. "Eren, that's stupid."

Text Levi. Tell him about the quiz grade. He said he wanted to know whenever Eren got it back, but was four o'clock too early to text him?

Eren bit his lip and debated. If Levi couldn't text right now, he'd text him back later. No need to feel like he was interrupting something. He wasn't. Right?

 **Jaegerbomb – Mon. 4:13 pm**

' _Hey, I just wanted to let you know I got an 82 on my Stats quiz. Thanks for all your help!'_

Okay, that's enough. Eren hoped that wasn't too much text, but he felt the need to thank Levi. He'd thank him to his face the next time he saw him, of course, which would be Tuesday, but the message felt incomplete without the thanks.

Eren heard the back door open and close, and the recognizable sound of heels clicking on the floor.

"Eren?" Carla called out. She came around the corner and poked her head in the living room. She smiled when she saw him.

"Hey, ma." Eren acknowledged. "How was work?"

"Tiring." She answered. Typical. "But good. How was school?"

"Good. I got an 82 on my Stats quiz." He said with a knowing grin.

Carla gasped. All streaks of tiredness fled her face as she beamed.

"Eren! That's great."

Eren laughed as she ran to hug him quickly.

"I suppose I have to pay Levi now." She stated as she pulled away. "He's done a fine job."

Eren shrugged. "Yeah, I mean, I guess he has."

Carla turned around to go to her bedroom, and called out something about dinner, but Eren wasn't really listening. He checked his phone to see, just to see, if Levi might have text him back already.

He didn't.

"He's okay, I guess." Eren spoke into the air.

888

"What are you thinking about?"

Bertholdt turned his head to look at Reiner in the driver's seat. He had been staring randomly at the scenery passing by on their way from school, and hadn't really been making conversation with Reiner since they'd gotten in his truck.

"Nothing." He answered. He tried to make it sound as if he really wasn't thinking about anything in particular, but if he knew anything about the person he'd known for a majority of his life in the seat next to him, he knew Reiner could tell he was lying.

"Uh huh." Reiner responded, smirking. Yep, he knew Bert was lying.

"You were kind of out of it at practice." Reiner continued, speeding up on the mildly busy freeway. "What's been on your mind?"

"It's nothing." Bertholdt answered.

"Whenever someone says that, that means there's something up."

Bertholdt tried to smile in reassurance. "Reiner, it's fine."

Reiner looked over quickly at his boyfriend (that was still weird for him to say) in the passenger.

"Alright." Reiner nodded, and continued to drive in silence.

He wasn't simple-minded; he knew when something was off. Despite his high school career of football, shady parental history, and size, he was a lot smarter than he let on sometimes.

He was good at reading people, if nothing else, and right now he could tell that Bert was distracted, just as he had been for a while now.

It hadn't started today, no. As much as Reiner hated to admit it, it started ever since the school year started.

He wasn't quite sure if he was doing something wrong, and if he was, Bert wasn't uncomfortable with telling him. Reiner had a habit of doing too much sometimes, and all it took was one word from Bert to reel him back in.

"You ready for Friday's game?" He asked, because _fuck_ , he hated the silence.

"Yeah, I suppose." Bertholdt mumbled.

Reiner nodded. "I am too. I like the way coach designed our starting plays. They're a lot different from last year's, and they don't just focus on one player and their talents, it gives everyone on every line a chance to participate in making a play."

Bertholdt hummed. "Do you think we can win regionals this year?"

Reiner hooted. "Oh yes! We've definitely got the potential this time around. Plus, I can't really afford to get dropped off early in the football season; Dawk U is still looking at me."

It went silent again save for the steady purr of the truck's engine.

So, _that_ was it.

It was the whole college thing, Reiner thought. He had a hunch, but he wasn't going to bring it up until he was absolutely sure.

Was college a sensitive and discouraging topic of conversation for the two of them? Yes. Reiner knew this was the opportunity of a lifetime, but so was being with _him_ , and he feared that both would cause him to make a choice he didn't want to make.

"Hey."

"Yeah?" Bertholdt said.

"I love you, you know."

Bertholdt looked over at Reiner again, this time his lips were turned downward at the corners, and his mouth was slightly open.

He stuttered a bit, but he replied. "I love you too, Reiner."

888

"You know you don't have fucking band, Squidward, stop lying."

Eren was sprawled on the couch, full from dinner, and bored out of his mind while watching Spongebob.

Dinner was not as awkward as it had been the past few days since he and Mikasa decided they were still being tense with one another. He wasn't convinced that Mikasa was actually mad at him, or mad in general, but they were still being short with one another, and she certainly hadn't come into his room at ungodly hours for typical conversation.

His phone buzzed, and he blindly picked it up while keeping his eyes on the television. When he cast his eyes down to the screen, he thought he was going to split his face in half, he was smiling so hard.

 **Levi – Mon. 7:23 pm**

' _Congratulations, Eren. I knew you could do it. Isn't that something a commonplace tutor would say?' But seriously, good job.'_

 **Jaegerbomb – Mon. 7:24 pm**

' _Hahaa, I guess it is. Thanks though, I couldn't have done it without your help.'_

He placed his phone back down and continued watching TV. It was getting to the good part; the most memorable scene of cartoon history ever.

The Super Dome.

"Sweet, sweet, sweet victory!" Eren sang along, very off tune. It was his favorite part.

Just then, his phone rang, and for a split second he was hoping it was Levi. Although, why would he call him?

It was actually Connie.

"Hey, Springroll." Eren greeted. He turned the TV down.

" _Hey, Eren. Are you busy?"_

"Not at all. What's up?"

" _I just need to talk to somebody."_

Eren sat up on the couch and turned the television off. Connie had his complete attention.

"Alright, I'm listening."

Connie rendered a long, shaky sigh. Eren was getting anxious.

" _It's about soccer."_

Eren's heart dropped. "Connie…

" _I don't think I'll be able to play this year."_

Eren felt his throat tighten. "Why?"

Connie cleared his throat; Eren thought his voice sounded weak.

" _I really don't have the time, or the financial resources. Mom's out of work right now because of her illness, and all her money is going towards medical billing. The house bills still have to be paid, I still have to put gas in my truck, and make sure Nina and Kai are alright. I haven't paid for my uniform yet, and I don't have cleats, and my sorry ass minimum wage pizza job isn't going to cut it."_

Eren shook his head repeatedly. "Connie, there's got to be something we can do. Have you told your mom all of this?"

" _And worry her more? No. Look man, she's got her health to stress over, and I want her to think that I can handle things while she's down and out."_

Eren raised his voice. "But you shouldn't have to quit soccer! We finally got our guaranteed spots on varsity; we have such a great shot this year. We need you out there."

Eren was very aware of how selfish he was sounding, but Connie just couldn't give this up.

" _You think this is an easy decision to make, Eren?"_ Connie raised his voice in question. _"You think I want to quit? No! If I had things my way, mom would be healthy and still working, I could play soccer and not have to worry about life, and my dad would still fucking be alive and well and helping take care of the twins!"_

" _But my life isn't working like that, okay? My dad's dead, my mom's seriously ill, and Nina and Kai don't even want to sleep in their rooms at night. They've been sleeping with me in my bed because they're scared. I have fucking life problems to handle, and the last thing I need to be worrying about is soccer."_

Eren was breathing rapidly. Connie had never yelled at him before, not counting on the field. Connie never sounded this weighed down before.

This wasn't Connie.

"Look, Connie, I'm sorry." Eren apologized. "I was being insensitive. It's just that… _fuck_ , I hate that this is being taken away from you. You've worked so hard for this, and I don't want you to have to give it up."

Connie calmed down some, but went back to sounding solemn. _"Yeah, well, that's life, I guess. C'est la vie."_

"Is this why you were so quiet at lunch today?" Eren asked.

Connie, as his mom instructed him, had started back school, but anyone who knew anything about him knew his mind wasn't really on school at all.

" _Yeah. I'm just…Eren, do you believe in God?"_

That took him back. "Uh, I don't really know what I believe. I mean, I'm not religious. Why?"

Connie sighed. _"I don't know what to do. You know mom's a believer, and she prays all the time. You think if I prayed, that would help?"_

"Why pray if you don't believe?"

" _That's just it. I don't know what I believe. I don't know what to think, or how to feel anymore. Things aren't exactly cut and dry right now."_

Eren was getting ready to say something encouraging, but Connie interrupted him.

" _Look, I'm sorry I called you with all this crap."_

"No." Eren said quickly. "Don't be sorry for anything. I'm glad you called me. I'm glad you know you can talk to me."

" _I was going to call Marco, but I text him earlier, and he's with Mina."_

"What about Sasha?" Eren asked suggestively.

Connie laughed. Wow, was Eren glad to hear that.

" _I don't know. Shit, I guess I don't wanna tell her all my problems."_

"Hmm, I get the feeling that Sasha wouldn't mind whatsoever. Actually, she might welcome it."

Eren spoke to Connie for a little while longer, this time with more light hearted conversation, and he was careful to steer clear of any topics of soccer, soccer practice, or illnesses.

When Connie hung up, Eren took a deep breath and flung his phone on the couch. He sat back and didn't move to turn the television on.

Why couldn't things just go right? Why did things always have to suck? No, this wasn't about him, but it was about one of his best friends and that meant it practically concerned him as well.

There had to be something they could do, Eren thought. Connie needed to play soccer; Eren didn't want to imagine a field without him. But when reality was considered, Eren saw the obvious problem. Connie now had bills to pay, two young ones to support, and a sick mother; he couldn't afford to pay for leisurely activities.

And when Connie talked about his dad, Eren was shocked. This was the first time he heard Connie speak of his dad since…since…hell, he couldn't _remember_ when.

Eren was broken out of his thoughts when the doorbell rang.

"I got it!" He yelled out, although the two women that lived with him were in their rooms and probably didn't even hear the bell ring.

He cringed as he heard something on his body crack as he stood up; probably his ankle. He hoped that wasn't an early sign of something serious.

He padded across the wooden floor until he reached the door and looked out the hole.

Eren reared back, face surprised, and heart beat increasing. What was he doing here?

Unconsciously, Eren smoothed down his hair and fixed his shirt.

"Hey." Eren addressed as he opened the door slowly.

"Hey." Levi nodded. "I hope I wasn't interrupting anything. I don't think I was. Anyway, here."

Eren looked down to where Levi had thrust his arm out, and blinked when he saw a familiar white and blue styrofoam cup with the _Swively's_ logo on it.

"Wha-

"Think of this as an incentive." Levi began, forcing the cup in Eren's hand. "You do well in Statistics, and I come bearing gifts."

Eren laughed incredulously. "A vanilla milkshake. That's my incentive?"

"Or any other flavor you prefer." Levi said, smirking.

Eren shook his head in disbelief. "Levi, you really didn't have to do this."

"I know I don't, but the quickest way to get on a teenager's good side is to bribe them with food and money, and I'm not giving you money, but I _can_ bring you food."

It took a small second, but Eren smiled wide. "Thank you. This is really great, actually."

"Good." Levi said curtly. "Well, I actually have more work to do, so I'll be seeing you tomorrow. Be ready to work."

"Yes sir." Eren stated without even really thinking.

Levi laughed. _God_ , that was a good sound. "Don't call me sir. That's makes me feel old."

Eren shook his head. "Ah, I'm sorry. Wait, how old are you anyway? I mean, if you don't mind me asking."

Levi raised a brow slightly. "I'm twenty five."

Eren nodded. "Oh, okay. Cool."

"Do you not have another response other than 'oh, okay, cool' when someone says something to you?"

"I bet I sound like a broken record."

"More awkward than broken, really." Levi muttered. "Anyway, see you tomorrow."

"Okay, coo- _shit_."

Levi smirked again, and turned around to walk across the street to his house. Eren closed the door slightly, but he watched him walk away.

He was still in work clothes. His white button up wasn't fitted, but Eren thought he could see the outline of Levi underneath it. His slacks were perfectly pressed; Eren wished he knew how to iron that well. His undercut was clean. Eren thought about getting one, since he needed to cut his hair anyway. Plus, everyone else was rocking them.

He watched Levi walk by his black car he already parked in his driveway, and up the walkway to the door. Then he was inside.

Eren finally closed his own door, and looked at the cup in his hand with a smile before drinking it.

"Mmm." He moaned. Vanilla shakes were the answer to life's problems.

He slowly walked down the hall back towards the living room, smiling all the way.

When he sat back down on the couch, he checked his phone and saw that he had another message from Levi.

 **Levi – Mon. 8:36 pm**

' _By the way, I'm absolutely certain that we can do better than an 82. So, when I said be ready to work tomorrow, I wasn't kidding.'_

 **Jaegerbomb – Mon. 8:37 pm**

' _I'm looking forward to it.'_

Eren didn't mean for that to sound as evocative as it did…Okay, that was a lie. He mildly intended for that to sound somewhat evocative, but he didn't necessarily mean it in an evocative way, ya feel?

But he was looking forward to it, actually. And Levi didn't have to promise food as an incentive. He could literally just bring his person, and Eren would be satisfied with that.

Okay, this was getting weird. Levi was just a tutor who was kind enough to speak to him like an adult in his own steely fashion, and that was it.

However, Eren felt like this was beginning to get out of hand, and the only time he felt onsets like that was when he was drinking too much and he knew things were going to go downhill.

He was getting the same feeling here with Levi. He felt an onset of _something_ , and he had a feeling that whatever that something was, it was going to go downhill, and fast.


	9. Chapter 9

With time already flying by, the school year was approaching October, which meant spirit week, pep rallies, and the homecoming game.

For Eren and the rest, it meant all of those things, plus parties.

Oh yes, homecoming week at Trost High was always a stew of various types of debauchery, and ever since their freshman year, they participated with every part of their being.

While they were sitting outside for lunch, a breeze blew by, lifting up people's plastic trays and causing curses to be thrown to the wind. The air wasn't chilly yet, but Eren, while he'd been eating his breakfast that morning, had heard the humdrum announcement the Maria news forecaster made.

"It's gonna start cooling down soon." He stated, finishing his sliced peaches.

"You know what that means." Jean said suggestively.

Reiner raised a hand and pointed a finger. "Fucking parties."

Everyone laughed.

"Which means Halloween is coming soon." Krista added, clapping her hands together.

Annie joined in. "So, that means…

"Party at Kirstein's house!" Connie finished in a shriek. Sasha high fived him, and Eren whooped in agreement.

Other seniors were unsuccessfully trying not to be nosy as they cast their glances over at their table. Everyone at Trost knew what 'part at Kirstein's' meant.

Jean laughed. "Yeah. You know mom leaves for her annual Halloween office party for that weekend, so that leaves the house to me."

Marco shook his head. "This is going to be hell."

Ymir laughed and placed a hand on his shoulder. "Ah, come on, lighten up some. Reiner and Bertholdt's homecoming game is right around the corner, which means a celebratory party at Reiner's house because they're _not_ gonna lose. Then, soccer season is approaching, and we're totally gonna dominate this year. Coach is already planning our own homecoming dinner. Then, Halloween at Kirstein's."

"And the best thing is," Jean began, leaning across the table to get in Marco's face. "Ymir will be supplying the alcohol for every single event. All three of them."

Everyone laughed, and Ymir frowned.

"With whose money?" She asked.

"Yours." Krista sang. Ymir looked at her like she was crazy.

Jean spoke through his cackling. " _Shit_ , I kid, I kid. You know we all pitch in."

Armin cleared his throat. "You know, I seem to have made a memory bank of the previous parties we've had, and…well, Sasha's always the one drinking…

"And never chips in for a goddamn thing!" Ymir agreed. "You're fucking _right_ , Arleto."

Sasha was red in the face with laughter. "Isn't there always that one friend in the group?"

"The one that always starts drinking first, but never chipped in for the liquor." Mikasa pointed out. "And in our group, that's you, Sasha."

Sasha raised both hands in an 'I'm guilty' fashion, but she didn't seem the least bit ashamed.

"Always the first to get drunk." Connie said.

"The first to get wild." Eren added.

"The first to try to take their clothes off." Krista continued.

"Yet somehow, the last to pass out." Ymir finished with a shake of the head. "How do you do it, Tater?"

Sasha shrugged. "Skills."

Marco burst into laughter. "We're seventeen and eighteen, and we've already developed methods when it comes to alcohol."

Eren smirked. "It's better to train now. You don't want to go in college looking like a rookie."

Marco nodded. "My mom doesn't know we drink."

"Thank fuck." Ymir mumbled.

Annie agreed. "Marco, if she found out you occasionally get drunk, what do you think she'd do?"

Marco contemplated with a fry hanging out of his mouth. "She'd probably ask me the basic parental questions. Who was I with? Where was I? Why did I do it? Did I think before I acted?..."

"Definitely the basics." Jean affirmed.

"She'd probably say I missed a milestone." Marco continued, shrugging. "And in a way, she'd be right, but…

"Can't stay away from the liquor." Connie said, slamming his hands on the table. "I remember that one time sophomore year that we had that Halloween party at Jean's, and there was half a bottle of Fireball left, and I took it home, but my mom found it in my closet and damn near burned the house down she was so pissed."

Eren had tears in his eyes. "And you told her…you told her you found it on the side of the road…

"And that you felt bad about it not having a home." Mikasa finished.

Connie started dying. "I think I was still under the influence of whatever the hell I had at Jean's the night before."

"You think?" Annie asked. "You could have gotten us all in trouble."

"I'm sure my mom is 98 percent sure I party with you guys." Connie began. "I honestly think she just cares about our safety instead of the drinking itself."

"It's like, as long as we don't do something stupid while we're drinking, like drive, or rape someone, or break in to something, or die, she's not going to bite our heads off about it." Sasha finished.

"Either way, I am never bringing alcohol in my house again. What if the twins had gotten into it?"

Krista shook her head. "Nina is already mildly crazy."

Reiner cleared his throat. "Well, we'll make proper plans for a party at my house after the homecoming game. Do you all mind if I invite a few guys from the team?"

Annie scowled. Mikasa frowned. Marco groaned in protest. Jean said it was fine. Eren just stared.

"What's wrong with that?" Reiner asked.

"They're all fuck boys." Ymir stated. "And I don't like Krista or the rest of you guys being drunk around guys I don't know."

Eren nodded.

Reiner defended. "It won't be like that. Well, they might flirt, but we all have each other. Nothing's going to happen to anybody."

It was quiet at the table for a bit. Everyone in their group of friends had a spoken rule: do NOT get drunk around people you do not know.

If they partied, they always had each other, and there was always someone in their group that was sober enough to look after everyone else. Most of the time, the caretakers were Armin, Mikasa, Annie, Marco, and Bertholdt.

However, Bertholdt was always floating around Reiner for safety purposes, and no one was mad about that whatsoever.

"I'm cool with it." Jean said.

"Me too, but they can't be doing anything too wild." Connie agreed.

Eren gave in. "I mean, I don't see why not."

Armin spoke up. "Remember that you live in a neighborhood, Reiner. We can't be too loud or someone will definitely call the police."

Ymir rolled her eyes. "As long as they know how to keep their hands to themselves."

Everyone eventually agreed, and Reiner looked over at Bertholdt, who hadn't said anything since lunch started.

"What do you say, Bertholdt?" Reiner asked. "Is it cool with you?"

Bertholdt nodded with no hesitation. "It should be fun."

888

"You know, sometimes I don't know if you do this on purpose, or if you really are just this bad at keeping your work neat."

Levi slid the notebook back to Eren with an annoyed expression.

Eren exhaled and counted to ten silently. This again. This same, frustrating tutoring session with Levi.

"Try that problem again, this time with a little more…concentration and neatness, and watch the right answer magically appear at the end."

Eren nodded dutifully and did what Levi instructed. Just because he had made a B on his Statistics quiz did not mean he was off the hook. His first quarter grade in that class was a borderline C, and Carla was not happy with that whatsoever, no matter how many times Eren tried to convince her that it was a heaven sent miracle.

Levi stayed true to his word and got right to work as soon as he sat down at the kitchen table. Eren didn't know what he was expecting; some kind of friendly conversation before he got on his nerves for the next hour and a half, perhaps. Whatever, that obviously wasn't written in his crooked stars.

The doorbell rang, and Eren settled back in his seat when he heard his mother call out.

"I got it!"

Eren furrowed his eyebrows and stopped working, tilting his head as if that would help him hear better.

He heard the front door open, then quiet talking. The front door closed.

There were footsteps heading towards the living room, and soon the television was off so that it was pure quiet.

"Eren?"

Eren looked up, and saw that Levi was looking at him curiously.

"S-sorry." He stuttered. "Hang on a sec."

Eren stood up and walked towards the octagon shaped window above the kitchen sink, and looked out.

" _Fuck_!" He swore under his breath.

Levi was turned around, watching him. "I feel like I'm missing something."

Eren turned back around and stalked to the table. He sat down with a huff and set his pencil down.

"My dad's here."

Eren wouldn't say he was expecting a response, or a question, because Levi didn't know anything about his daddy issues, and probably didn't care, but he was expecting some kind of inquiry as to why he was less than thrilled the man was in the next room.

"I'm going to guess that's not a good thing." Levi responded.

Eren looked at him and shook his head tiredly. "Not at all."

Levi pursed his lips momentarily. "Well, do you still want to continue?"

Eren's eyes widened. "Yes! I mean, yeah, of course. That's no excuse not to finish this."

Levi blinked. "Okay, I was just making sure. Well, get back to it then."

Eren nodded and picked up his pencil. He was trying to focus on the problem as well as trying to listen in for any noise coming from the living room. He really didn't hear any, except for someone clearing their throat (it was Grisha), and then he heard a door down the hall close.

He heard footsteps coming down the hall, and Eren knew it was Mikasa.

He paused again briefly, then slowly moved his pencil to finish making his graph, all while still eaves dropping on what was going on in the living room.

Is it still technically eaves dropping when you're in your own home? Like, is there some kind of manual written in stone that constitutes what is considered eaves dropping?

Probably not.

He heard another voice, recognized it as Mikasa's, and she was talking with Grisha.

"Eren."

Eren looked up. Levi was looking at him with a cocked eyebrow.

"Sorry." Eren blurted. "I just…

"Do you need to be in there?" Levi asked. "Really, Eren, it's alright if you want to stop here."

Eren shook his head. "No, it's fine. I'm almost done with this anyway."

Just then, Carla appeared around the corner, head first, then the rest of her followed.

"I'm sorry to interrupt." She spoke quietly. Eren thought she sounded awkward; she wasn't comfortable.

"Eren, your father is here."

"I know." He responded quickly.

Carla exhaled and nodded. "Do you want to speak to him?"

Eren frowned and shook his head. "Nah, I'm good. I'm busy right now anyway."

Carla tilted her head. "Alright. Well, he and Mikasa are going to grab something to eat."

She finished that sentence in a tone that hinted she was extending the invitation to him.

Eren shook his head.

"No."

Carla nodded. "Okay, well I'll be back in the living room. They're getting ready to go now, so…"

"Thanks, mom." Eren said, knowing full well he didn't sound the least bit thankful.

Carla turned and exited the kitchen, and soon, Eren heard more footsteps, and Carla calling out goodbye, then the front door closed again.

Eren wasn't aware that his pencil sat idly in his hand, and he didn't realize how quiet he was being until Levi spoke again.

"Eren."

He looked up. This time he didn't even apologize.

"Look," He began. "Is it…okay if we stop here for today?"

Levi nodded. "Of course. After all, it's not like I can tell you no. This is your house."

Eren didn't respond. He stood and gathered his textbook and things together.

"Thanks for today anyway." He said quietly.

Levi looked up at him with his mouth slightly parted like he wanted to say something. Eren was still getting his things together, trying to act like he didn't feel those eyes on him.

"I'll show myself out." He said, standing up.

Eren watched him leave the kitchen. He wasn't in work clothes today. No, today he was wearing another band t-shirt. Metric, to be exact. Eren had noticed it when he first walked in, and he suddenly remembered that he had planned on asking him what album of theirs' was his favorite.

He heard the front door open.

He heard the front door close.

888

" _To be fair, Eren, you are the one that said that you did not care what they did, so long as they left you out of it."_

Eren threw a piece of paper across his room and into his waste basket.

"Yeah, but, shit, I don't know. This is bothering me. Why the hell is this bothering me so much?"

" _Maybe you actually do care. You just don't want to admit it."_

"Armin," Eren began, sitting on the edge of his bed in his boxers. "I don't know. I-I really don't know what I care about."

Eren heard some shuffling, then heard Armin sigh.

" _I think you should spend some time with the two of them at once, just to see if that's what you've been missing. You'd be surprised, maybe you'd enjoy spending time with your dad."_

Eren was frustrated. "I don't want to spend time with him, though!"

" _Well, Mikasa does, and honestly, Eren, you have no right to be upset with her for that. Excuse her for wanting to have a relationship with some type of parental figures. Excuse your father for actually wanting to try to work things out with his son. You know, some people don't have parents that do that."_

And to that, Eren did not have an argument, only an apology.

"I'm sorry, Arm. Sometimes I forget."

" _It's fine."_ Armin said, even though Eren was feeling that it was not in the least bit _fine_.

"When was the last time you talked to them?"

" _Eren, we may have fallen off for a bit, but nothing's changed as far as it goes with my parents. I haven't talked to them since I was ten years old."_

"Sorry." He pardoned again. "Hey, have you…have you ever really wanted a relationship with your parents?"

Eren heard his best friend sigh and hum for a while before he gave an answer.

" _I don't know."_ He laughed dryly. _"I suppose you and I are alike in that aspect."_

Eren swallowed. "If they came to you now, wanting to reconnect and build a relationship, would you do it?"

" _I think…yes, I think I would."_ Armin answered slowly. _"Because as much as I'd like to hold contempt against them for never being in my life, and as much as they deserve to be treated that way, I don't have it in me to be so unforgiving. Who knows what could happen. If I built a relationship with my parents, it could be the best thing I'd ever known."_

"It could also be the worst." Eren countered.

" _Yeah."_ Armin agreed. _"But nobody knows the effect of their actions until it happens. Nobody can see into the future. You may think reconnecting with Grisha is a bad idea, but you never really know until you try."_

Eren smiled softly. For as long as they had been friends, and as many times as Armin had to hear Eren rant, he always had an optimistic way of speaking to him, even if he wasn't saying something entirely positive, it left Eren feeling more satisfied than it would if he buttered him up with pretty words and empty promises of better days.

"I hate that you're right sometimes."

Armin laughed. _"I'm just doing my job as a friend."_

Eren laid back on his bed, reaching over to turn his bedside lamp off, and nearly whispered.

"Thanks for that."

888

Soccer practice that Wednesday was actually a surprise soccer game against Olbd High, and Eren was more or less shaking in his neon green cleats because holy fuck it was a game against another school and the weather was nice and he was willing and ready and…

"You ready?" Jean asked.

Eren looked over at him. Jean was standing with him centerfield, adjusting his sweatbands on his wrists. Marco was standing next to him, leaning left to right, stretching thoroughly.

Connie, unfortunately, was not there today. They were subbing in a different player.

"What about you, Wagner?" Jean inquired.

"Yes!" He said, as if he was talking to someone that was an authority, and Eren had to hold back a laugh because he definitely didn't need to talk to Jean with _respect_.

Thomas Wagner had to be the most determined, awkward, loudest, and resilient guy Eren had ever met. He was a senior, he knew, but this was his first year on varsity soccer. Eren thought his voice always sounded monotone and just plain annoying.

But from what Eren observed during their practices, the guy could handle a ball well, and as long as he passed to him and Jean, they'd be alright.

"Alright." Jean said, clapping his hands together. "Everybody, huddle up!"

All the boys on the varsity soccer team gathered around in centerfield. Jean gestured for them all to lean down so their conversation would be kept private.

"Okay," He started. "Bodt, when you're defending the goal, remember to keep your knees bent, and eyes on the kicker and the ball. Olbd's captain is the key person we'll have to worry about when it comes to making goals, but he likes to kick to the left."

"Mylius and Kuklo, guard the goal. Make sure Marco doesn't have to do too much work. That's what you're there for."

Both boys looked at each other and nodded.

"Wagner, make sure you pass to either me or Eren when we're open, okay?"

"Yes sir!" Thomas answered.

Jean had to fight the urge to roll his eyes. "And Jaeger."

Eren was bent over with his hands on his knees, smirking up at Jean.

Jean smiled back. "Just do what you always do."

Eren nodded. "You got it."

"This may just be a practice game to see where we're at, but let's give this all we've got. Everybody, hands in!"

They all put their hands in, and Jean started the chant.

"Who are we!?"

"Titans!"

"Who!?"

"Titans!"

"One more time!"

"Titans! Let's get it!"

They all threw their hands up, and broke away to get in their positions.

Eren was pumped, so pumped in fact, he was hitting his hand against his thigh in anticipation.

They guy they placed on him was slightly taller than he was, and had blond hair with neon red tips.

"Hey." He said, shaking hands with Eren. "Let's have a good game."

Eren shook hands firmly. "Let's do our best."

Once everyone was marked, Coach Hanji put her whistle between her lips and raised a hand.

The air was dead quiet. The girls were playing after them, and they were all sitting on the track, ready to scream and support the boys…

In three…

Two…

One…

Hanji blew the whistle, and the two players in the middle fought to see who'd take off with the ball. Olbd's captain got it first; Jean was a bit slow on the start off.

Then everyone was running, and there was a lot of yelling, and Eren was right in it.

Jean stole. He fucking stole and turned around and was heading towards their goal. Eren broke and switched gears, running in the opposite direction.

Olbd's captain was on his tail, making it difficult for Jean to maneuver, so Eren yelled out.

"Jean!"

Jean didn't even glance in his direction. He kicked to where he heard Eren's voice come from, knowing he would do the rest.

Despite the spiky red hair dude on his ass, Eren sped up and received the ball, dribbling it towards their goal.

He was approaching the box, but he knew that his marker was on him, and if he slowed down to kick a goal now, he'd get the ball swiped from him. So, he decided to pivot and pass to his left.

"Jean!"

He kicked, and Jean cut in front of his marker, and received the ball. He had just enough time, and in the minute of a second, he stilled and reared his right leg back to deliver a powerful kick to the right.

The ball flew right past the two defenders, and it should be going right in the goal…

The goalie blocked it.

"Damn." Eren muttered. He backed away from the goal, knowing the goalie was going to kick it far out, because Thomas and his marker were a distance behind, and they wanted to score.

And that's exactly what they ended up doing.

The other team cheered, and Eren bit his bottom lip, looking at Jean with squinted eyes.

Jean ran over to Thomas and clapped him on the back. "Don't mind it, let's switch gears."

"Don't mind it, Marco!" He yelled out. Marco lifted a hand in apology anyway for letting the other team score.

It went back and forth like that for a while. Nobody was scoring, but everyone was getting close to the box. Marco wasn't giving up anymore more points, and neither was Olbd's goalie; it was getting intense.

Spiky red-hair guy was beginning to get a little too handsy with Eren. He was shoving too hard, and Eren was losing his cool with him, fast.

"Eren!" Thomas yelled out. Eren was ready to receive the ball, but before he could really register it, he was falling and hitting the ground.

Spiky red-hair guy tripped him, and he knew it wasn't a fucking accident.

"Brush it off!" Jean yelled as he ran past him. "Come on!"

Eren jumped up, barely feeling any pain if there was any, and burst forward to catch up with his mark. He was going to steal, he _had_ to. There was no way he was going to let this guy knock him off his feet and score like that.

Eren was right on him, watching his feet, trying to decide when to steal. He needed to do it soon, _now_ , if he was going to do it at all.

He swept a leg, careful not to knock his mark off his feet entirely, and brought back the ball towards him, already pivoting and kicking it back to Jean.

Jean received it nicely, and Eren ran forward again, determined to show that he wasn't going to be ran over like that without someone facing consequences.

He was going to score.

Jean was dribbling and swerving, being careful not to let his opponent sweep the ball away from him.

Eren called out. "Jean, it's all me!"

Jean knew what that meant, and he looked back to Thomas and yelled.

"Wagner!"

He kicked the ball, and Eren felt his body tense up as he was running, hoping Thomas would receive. If it was Connie, Eren wouldn't have any doubt, but it wasn't, and if Thomas didn't receive the kick well, his marker was going to get it, and they didn't need to let them score again.

Thomas looked unsure, but he received, and Eren yelled.

"Back to Jean!"

Thomas kicked nicely back to Jean, and Jean received, looking back to Eren.

"Jaeger!"

Eren watched Jean kick the ball towards him, and his body slowed for a moment as he was getting in the stance to gain the momentum to kick.

He stopped, swung his right leg, and the ball made direct contact with the inside of his foot, and whizzed through the air.

Right into the net.

"Goal!" He yelled, throwing his hands up. Jean, Mylius, Kuklo, and Thomas all ran up to tackle Eren and congratulate him. It may just be one point, but hell, that tied the game, and they knew they had a fighting chance.

"Good work, Eren!" Jean said, rubbing the back of his head. "Man, you need to cut your hair."

Eren was breathing heavy, but he agreed. "Yeah, I do."

They had to play for a full eighty minutes, and by the end of it, Eren's legs were quivering, and his chest hurt, but the score took all that away.

Trost 2 – Olbd 1

They all shook hands, and Eren tried his best not to wear his shit eating grin in front of his mark, even though he really wanted to.

They walked off the field, linked onto each other and cheering. Coach Hanji was clapping her hands, a proud look on her face.

"Very good job." She looked at Eren. "Jaeger, great like always. Jean, that was some good directing. Mylius and Kuklo, good defending. Marco, you held it down in the goal. And Thomas Wagner, you did well for your first varsity game, even if it was a practice match."

Everyone was looking satisfied with themselves, and although there were things they needed to work on individually, and as a team, their performance over all was almost solid, and that was a relief.

"Now, it's the girl's turn. Mikasa, you're up!"

The girls finished stretching and walked over to the boys to congratulate them. Mina was kissing Marco, and Sasha pat Thomas on the back, telling him he did a good job.

Thomas' face was red.

Much to Eren's surprise, and not his displeasure, Mikasa hugged him tightly.

"Good job." She said steadily.

When she pulled back, Eren went in for a first bump, and she met him halfway.

"Thanks. Now it's your turn. Go kill it."

Mikasa smirked. "Of course."

She walked off, and Eren turned to wish Annie and Ymir good luck.

"Do your best, ladies. Annie, you're my wife, and we're a power couple. So, I expect no less than total domination out there."

Everyone laughed, even Annie, and the girls were gathered centerfield, huddled up and nodding at whatever Mikasa was saying.

Eren turned around to get back with his team, and paused midway when he saw someone standing next to Hanji. Someone particularly short, with short hair, and a clean undercut, and a _The Shins_ band tshirt, and black jeans, and holy fuck it was…

"Levi?"

Both Hanji and Levi looked over, and Levi smirked at him knowingly. He was probably laughing at his absolute look of shock and confusion, and Hanji was looking back and forth.

"You played well." Levi complimented as Eren walked closer. He became hyper aware of how sweaty he was, and how he probably smelled like grass and intensity, while Levi looked so clean.

"Thanks." Eren replied when he found his voice. "You and coach know each other?"

Hanji had a hand rested underneath her chin, looking at the players on the field, but she still answered.

"Levi and I go to school together."

Eren stepped back. "Oh! That's cool."

"Hanji wanted me to see her soccer babies play." Levi clarified. "And I swear "soccer babies" is quoted from her. I didn't come up with that."

Eren smiled. Like, it was a full smile. He needed to stop it.

"That's nice. I hope we didn't disappoint."

Levi shook his head. "Oh no, you guys are good, and you're point score was ace."

Eren could not believe his ears. Levi had never complimented him this much in one sitting. He'd received mild praises when it came to Statistics, but that was something he didn't know how to do well. Meanwhile, soccer was his life, and he knew he was good, but it felt refreshing and flattering to hear Levi tell him how good he was.

"Thanks a lot. Couldn't have done it without everyone else. So, are you staying for the girl's game?"

"Yeah." Levi answered, looking back towards the field. "Your sister looks like she's ready to stomp someone to the ground, though. I'd regret leaving and missing that."

"That's her concentrated face." Eren said. "Or just her face in general," he muttered. "But that's cool."

Levi was getting ready to say something else to him, but Eren felt a warm arm wrap over his shoulders.

"Hey, Eren."

It was Jean.

 _Fuck you, Jean._

"Hey," Eren answered unexcitedly. "Jean, this is my Stats tutor, Levi. Levi, this is my moderately challenged friend, Jean. His financially rich, but his mind is so poor."

Eren laughed when Jean muttered a threat in his ear. Levi nodded.

"Nice to meet you. You did well out there."

Jean looked utterly surprised. "Thank you, sir."

"You don't have to call me sir." Levi corrected. "Levi is just fine."

Jena nodded. "Cool. Hey, after the girl's game, we're going to _Swively's_. You in?"

"Uh, you're my ride, so I don't really have a choice."

Jean shoved him. "Cool. Well, I'm gonna be over there watching the girls."

"Watching Mikasa, to be exact."

Jean's face reddened a bit, and Eren burst into laughter.

"Screw you, Jaeger."

Jean walked off, and Eren said 'I love you.' Jean didn't reply. Rude.

Levi was smirking. "Does Jean have a thing for Mikasa?"

Eren sighed. "Gosh, _a thing_ isn't even the phrase for it. They used to date, actually, but that didn't work out. It's complicated."

Levi nodded, and turned back around to watch the game. Eren didn't say anything as he walked off, after all, he was only moving a few feet away to sit next to the rest of his teammates and watch the game.

He sat down on the track next to Marco.

"I'm nervous." He said.

"Why?" Although Eren was sure he already knew the reason.

"This is Mina's first varsity game, and you know how aggressive Mikasa and Annie play. I hope she can keep up."

"If she couldn't keep up, she wouldn't be on varsity." Jean reassured.

"Hey, Eren," Marco acknowledged. "Who's the man standing next to coach that you were talking to?"

Eren looked over and looked back. He gestured a thumb in Levi's direction. "Oh, that's my Stats tutor that lives across the street from me. Apparently he and coach go to school together."

"Smith?"

"Yeah."

Marco smiled. "That's cool. He's kinda good looking." He said nonchalantly.

While Marco turned to watch the ongoing game, Eren was staring at the side of his head in complete disbelief. That was another person that said Levi was good looking. And despite the wild cheers from everyone because Annie scored a goal right off the bat, Eren only looked back over to Levi, who was clapping, and whispered under his breath.

"Yeah. He is."


	10. Chapter 10

In life, there are moments that a person will never forget. Whatever that moment consists of, good or bad, it is committed to a person's memory for a lifetime.

When Eren realized that his days with his friends were numbered, he committed himself to cherishing every moment they ever spent together, because those were the memories that would last forever; those were the things that counted.

And when he high fived Mikasa and Annie and all his other friends in the football field bleachers, and turned to give Armin a quick hug, and waved his hands in the air, not caring about the gold, green, and black streamers raining down on them, he knew that this was another moment he'd never forget; something that would always matter.

Trost – 21, Quinta High – 14

Even Connie was there, chest naked and painted with Reiner's jersey number in neon pink, because he claimed that green would blend in with everyone else's green.

Trost High School's football team won their homecoming game, and despite the nippy air, everyone started taking their shirts off and waving them in the air like yield flags.

Sasha was recording the whole thing, absentmindedly blowing loose strands of hair out of her eyes, along with multicolored streamers.

Krista was on Ymir's shoulders, cheering and screaming for Bert, and Ymir was trying not to look too amused, but Eren could tell by her pleased smile that she was just as happy as the rest of them.

Eren looked behind him, and saw a sea of green; Trost students there to support their team, and celebrating with beach balls, silly string, and baby powder. It was a high-on-life moment, and when he turned back around and saw Reiner doing his usual, running up to the bleachers, hopping on the rails, taking off his helmet, and pumping his fists in time with the crowd, he knew that the clear night was only bound to get better.

888

"You ready for this?"

Eren could feel the thump of the music in his chest, bass heavy with drops. He was wearing a dark green tank top, black basketball shorts and black socks, and a shit eating grin.

Jean was standing across from him in an outfit that was similar to his, but different in color, smirking back at him with a shot glass in his hand.

"I've been ready." Eren answered, picking up his own glass and nodding.

"Okay." Jean turned. "Marco, are you in for this one?"

Marco stood off by the kitchen sink with a red cup in hand, and Eren suspected there was water in it, because Marco liked to chase after every ounce of alcohol he had.

He twisted his mouth, unsure as to whether he should, or sit this one out.

"I will."

Eren and Jean turned to their right where Reiner was waltzing in the kitchen, gait already slow and a little unsteady. That happened fast; they had only been at Reiner's house for an hour, but that was more than enough time for them to start _feeling_ it.

"Alright!" Jean said excitedly, high fiving Reiner and slightly missing. It was only a matter of time before Jean's twin came out to play.

"What about you, Armin?" Eren asked, turning to look at his friend sitting on the counter.

Armin sat quietly with his phone in hand, and shook his head. "No thanks. I have a SGA fundraiser in the morning, and I do not want to drink too much."

Eren nodded. "Fair enough. Alright, Reiner you ready?"

Reiner had his shot glass in hand, filled with the same concoction him and Jean whipped up; a Jagerbomb.

"If you're not drinking, then count." Jean said, pointing to Armin. Armin shrugged and cleared his throat.

"Three…two…one!"

They clinked glasses, set them down on the counter for a second, then picked them back up, knocking their drinks back.

It burned, Eren thought, but it burned good; it burned like liquor was supposed to, and he gave a small cheer when he forced it all down.

"Nice." Reiner said, wiping the corner of his mouth. "Real nice."

The night was going just as Ymir had prophesied. They won the homecoming game, the outside air was chilly, and they were celebrating the fall weather and win by getting drunk off their assess all while hoping not to disturb the neighbors.

Reiner had stayed true to his word and invited someone off the team to party with them; Franz Kefka, and his girlfriend Hannah.

The rest of the crowd was home grown, and everyone, save for the people in the kitchen, was in the living room playing cards against humanity.

Mikasa came in the kitchen soon thereafter, steady on her feet and calm in the face. She never drank a lot anyway.

She smirked when she saw Eren, leaning on the counter with a goody grin on his face.

"How many have you had?" She asked.

Eren knew this game. Mikasa would ask him how many drinks he had, and he'd have to count drinks and shots separate. She only did it because she wanted to make sure he wasn't going too hard in one hour, and to see if he could still count properly.

"Let's see," Eren began slowly, standing up straight and lifting up his hands. "We got here at ten, so I've had 4 drinks, and three shots."

"Any water?" Mikasa asked, tilting her head.

Eren didn't answer, he only began laughing, and Mikasa rolled her eyes.

"I'll take that as a no. Here, let me get you some."

Eren whined. "But I don't need any water, Mika. I'm good. I'm gucci."

Armin laughed. "You know when he starts saying he's 'gucci,' he's drunk."

Marco shook his head. "It's only been an hour, Eren."

"That's okay." Reiner interjected loudly, clapping Eren hard on the back. "Mr. Jaegerbomb isn't alone here."

"Yeah, we already know you're lit, Reiner." Jean added. Everyone laughed.

Mikasa handed Eren the infamous red cup with a very un-infamous drink; water.

"But I don't want it." He argued, setting it down on the island. "I'm not that drunk."

"Lies." Armin mouthed to Marco. Marco laughed behind his own cup of water.

"Oh, yes you are. And you need to come down some before we start playing Ring of Fire."

Everyone turned to look at the source of the voice, and it was Ymir in the entrance of the kitchen, comfortable in her tank top and tight shorts.

"You've already changed clothes?" Mikasa asked. She was still in her clothes she wore to the game.

"Yeah. We have to get comfortable for RoF. So drink your water, Eren." Ymir said, pointing a thin finger at his cup. "We can't have you be too drunk before you start playing."

Mikasa left the kitchen, probably to go slip into something more comfortable, and Eren obeyed and started sipping his water. They were right; he didn't want to be too drunk before they started playing Ring of Fire, because if you weren't drunk before you played that game, you were guaranteed to be on your ass by the end of it.

"Where are we playing?" Jean asked Ymir.

"Here." She said, stepping into the kitchen and picking up a shot glass, filling it with Malibu, and knocking it back fast before finishing her sentence. "We need to clear off this island."

The ones that were in the kitchen began doing just that, moving the alcohol that Ilse so graciously supplied them to the counters, wiping off any excess liquid with their hands.

"Where are the playing cards?" Jean asked.

"In the hall closet somewhere." Reiner answered, rubbing his eyes.

"I'll go look for them." Jean said, skipping out of the kitchen.

"Oh, god." Eren said lowly, eyes trailing after him.

Armin shook his head. "You're saying 'gucci,' Jean's skipping. It's only bound to go downhill from here."

"It'll go downhill after Rof." Reiner said. "Where is my boyfriend?"

As if on cue, Bertholdt walked around the corner and into the kitchen, a sheepish smile on his face.

"How much have you had?" He asked Reiner quietly.

And Reiner answered quite the opposite. "Too much, maybe. I don't know. Not a lot, I don't think. Some number, shit."

Armin sighed. "And now Reiner's rambling."

Marco started laughing. "All the signs of a wild night about to happen."

It was a few more minutes before everyone was gathered around the island, even Armin, and Jean was setting the playing cards around a single shot glass. Krista had the game instructions in her hands, ready to read them off like an announcer.

Everyone was in some comfortable clothing, because fuck, it gets hot when they're drinking, dancing, and laughing.

Franz was standing behind Hannah, his arms wrapped around her waist. Hannah was chatting away with Mina.

Connie looked stable enough, Eren thought. But give it some time, and soon, he'd be out of this world too.

"Alright." Ymir said. "Everyone has their own drink? I think we're ready, babe."

Krista cleared her throat. "Okay, listen up, these are the instructions. The playing cards arranged around the shot glass each have a number, ace, king, queen, or jack on them, of course. Each person will pull a card when it's their turn, and whatever number is on the card will correspond with the instructions on this paper. Does anybody remember them?"

Krista looked around expectantly. Reiner was squinting, like he hadn't understood a single fucking word she just said. Annie rolled her eyes and spoke.

"Ace is waterfall." She began. "If I pull an ace card, everyone here has to start waterfalling their drink. And no one can stop until the person next to them stops."

People started laughing nervously, looking a little confused.

"So," Annie said, pausing to take a drink, "if I pull an ace, then Mikasa here next to me, as well as the rest of you, will start waterfalling. But Mikasa can't stop until I stop, and Jean can't stop until she stops, because he's next to her, and Marco can't stop until Jean stops, because he's next to him."

"Oh, okay." Hannah said, giggling. "It's a trickle effect."

Franz moved from behind his girlfriend to stand at the island. "That really sucks for the last person then."

Everyone laughed, pointing at Mina, because she would be the last person waterfalling.

Annie continued. "2 is choose, so you can choose someone to take a drink with you. So, if I pulled a two, I would have to drink, and whoever I choose has to drink as well."

"3 is me!" Marco continued. "That means I have to take a drink. That simple."

"4 is whores." Ymir added, smirking. "All girls take a drink."

"You heard that, Jean?" Connie asked, leaning forward and looking at him. Everyone started laughing. Jean flicked him off.

"5 is thumb master." Eren said. "Everyone has to put their thumb on the table, and the last person to do that has to drink."

"6 is dicks!" Reiner yelled. "All guys take a drink."

"You heard that, Ymir?" Connie asked, earning himself a nice punch to the arm from said person.

"7 is heaven." Krista sing-songed. "Everyone has to point to the sky, and the last person to do so has to take a drink."

"8 is mate." Armin continued. "So you pick someone to drink with you every time you have to drink. So if I pulled an 8, and I picked Eren, Eren would have to take a drink every time I take a drink."

"9 is…fuck, what is 9?" Reiner asked, scratching his head.

"9 is rhyme." Krista answered. "If I pull a 9, then I have to think of a word, and everyone has to think of a word that rhymes with it, starting with the person next to me," she poked Ymir. "And if you say something that doesn't rhyme, or you can't think of a word fast enough, you take a drink."

"This is dangerous." Marco said, shaking his head.

"But you're still gonna play anyway." Jean countered.

"10 is categories." Krista said. "So if I pull a 10, then I have to think of a category. Something like soccer, or football, or movies, or food, and everyone has to say something that pertains to that category."

Hannah, Franz, and Mina all looked confused. Annie volunteered to clarify.

"So if I pull a 10, and say soccer is the category, then Mikasa here next to me has to say something that is related to soccer."

"Like cleats." Mikasa said.

"Or nets." Eren added.

"Or grass. And if you can't think of something fast enough, you have to take a drink." Annie finished. "Got it?"

All three nodded vigorously, looking more and more excited the more they heard.

"Okay, if you pull a jack, you get to make a rule. It can be as ridiculous as you want it to be." Krista waved her hands around. "So if I pull a jack, I get to make a rule, and everyone has to follow it. Like, every time Reiner laughs, him and Bert have to take a drink."

Reiner started laughing, which made everyone else laugh and Bert smiled and shook his head.

"A queen card means question master. If I pull a queen, then I, at any time, can ask any one of you question. The trick is that you have to answer my question with a question, if you don't, then you have to drink."

"There are so many rules." Mina said, putting a hand to her head.

"I hope you can keep up." Marco said from a distance, smiling and lifting his cup at her.

Mina smiled back.

"And finally," Krista sighed, "the king card. King is pour. So if I pull a king card, I have to pour a little bit of my drink into the shot glass in the middle surrounded by the cards. And if a bunch of people start pulling kings, and everyone is pouring some of their drink in the glass, then there's no telling how damn disgusting it's gonna be if you have to drink it."

"When would one have to drink it?" Franz asked, raising a hand.

Eren answered. "Good question. When pulling a card from the circle around the cup, if you break the circle, then you have to take that shot."

Ymir interrupted. "And every time you pull a card when it's your turn, you have to set it on top of the shot glass. So if you accidentally knock those cards off the glass, you have to take the shot."

"What'd you put in there, Jean?" Reiner asked.

Everyone looked at Jean, who had been in charge of setting up the cards and everything for the game, and he was smiling behind his own cup, looking absolutely pleased with himself.

"Jean, what's in there?" Sasha asked. She had been relatively quiet that whole time, still recording with her camera.

"Whiskey." He started cackling, and everyone either laughed, started looking worried, or making mock throw up noises.

"Fuck you." Ymir said. "That tastes like straight shit."

"Damnit, Jean!" Marco said, nudging his friend in the shoulder.

Jean was dying. "I thought it was an amazing idea."

"Yeah, I bet you did." Eren said, rolling his eyes. He wasn't too fond of whiskey either. "Alright, who's going first?"

"How about we let Franz go, since it's his first time. Franz then Hannah." Reiner suggested, and everyone agreed.

And so the debauchery began.

Franz took a deep breath and carefully pulled a card from the circle, and read it aloud.

"4."

"Is whores." Sasha said, finally putting her camera down. "All girls take a drink."

"Jean included." Connie added.

Jean, in fact, did not take a drink, but all the girls did.

Hannah pulled a 2.

"I choose Franz."

Franz and Hannah eyed each other as they both drank.

Mina pulled an 8.

"8 is mate. So, Marco." She chirped, picking up her cup.

Both of them took a drink.

Annie pulled a queen.

"I'm the question master." She said aloud. She noticed Reiner had been whispering something in Bert's ear, and she cleared her throat and spoke.

"Did you hear that, Reiner?"

"Hear what?" He asked in return, completely unaware of what he just did.

Krista started giggling. "Wow, he wasn't even paying attention and he still answered you with a question."

"Coincidence." Annie said, nodding. "I'll get him later."

Mikasa pulled a seven.

"Seven is heaven!" She said. Everyone tried to catch up and point a finger to the sky, but Hannah was the last one.

"Oh, drink!" Reiner said.

Jean pulled. "3 is me." He shrugged, and took a big gulp of his own drink.

Marco drew. "Five. Thumb master!"

Everyone rushed to put their thumb on the table, and this time, Eren was the last one, because he had been messing around on his phone.

"Damn." He muttered, and took a drink.

It was Connie's turn. "Oh, jack!"

"How fitting." Marco said.

Connie huffed. "Jack is categories. So, the category is, uh, sex! Go Ymir."

"STD's." She said nonchalantly.

"Condoms!" Krista yelled, red in the face.

"Uh, whip cream!" Sasha added, making everyone burst into laughter.

"Alright, I'll take that." Connie said. "Armin, keep it going."

Armin looked absolutely embarrassed. "Uh, orgasms."

There was a simultaneous 'ooh' from everyone.

It was Eren's turn. "Shit. Fuck, uh, anal."

"What the fuck?" Jean shrieked.

"We see where your mind is." Mikasa added.

"Shut up." Eren said. "Reiner?"

"Prostate." He answered steadily.

"I can't play this game anymore." Armin muttered jokingly.

"Bert?" Connie asked.

Everyone was dead quiet, waiting to see what their dear, quiet friend would think of.

Bertholdt was completely red in the face, avoiding eye contact with his beaming boyfriend.

"Five seconds!" Someone yelled.

"Uh, facials." He whispered.

Everyone screamed.

888

Jean knew he was drunk. He knew he was drunk two hours ago when he started being a little too friendly with anything remotely female in the premises, including Ymir.

But his group of friends weren't too bothered; they knew that was how he tended to get when he was liquored up. However, that didn't excuse the fact that his eyes had been following a certain someone a little too much all night. And that started before he even started drinking.

They had stopped playing Ring of Fire a little while ago, because Reiner, Connie, Eren, Krista, and Mina were starting to get way too drunk, and Ymir called it off for their own safety.

Now, everyone was back in the living room, probably dancing offbeat and sloppily to whatever booty music was reverberating through the house, while Jean was still in the kitchen, gathering the playing cards back together and sipping slowly on water, trying to come down some.

It wasn't working.

He knew it wasn't working because he started to feel a little too bold, and he knew he was feeling bold when Mikasa sauntered back into the kitchen, legs bare in her tiny shorts, and top covered with a long sleeve Trost soccer shirt, and he spoke.

"You feeling alright?"

She looked at him from her spot in the kitchen, right in front of the refrigerator, refilling her cup with water.

Jean knew Mikasa wasn't one to drink too much, and whatever she did drink, she made sure it wasn't something that would fuck her up like the rest of them. She'd rather be coherent and in control at all times, looking after the others that were too gone to function properly. He liked that.

But tonight, her eyes were looking oddly glassy, and when she walked into the kitchen, she was smiling, and her cheeks were a little rosy.

"Yeah, I'm good." She answered, sipping her water, her eyes on him. She answered with gusto.

Jean shook his head. "You look like you're feeling it."

He knew she was. He himself was leaning on the island, looking at her with wide eyes, half surprised that she was actually engaging in conversation with him.

For the past week, they were going back through that phase. It went in order; first, she wouldn't talk to him, then she'd make plain conversation, or respond to his questions, then they'd talk to each other like shit never blew up between them and they were perfectly fine.

They had been making plain conversation as of late. Jean even text her earlier that week, talking about nothing in particular, and discussing Connie. Any excuse to get her to respond.

Mikasa giggled. "Yeah, I think I'm feeling it."

Jean smirked roguishly, and stood up slowly. He pointed at her, and started moving to the other side of the island, so he could stand in front of her. "Are you drunk right now?"

She looked mischievous. "Maybe. I think I'm a little tipsy, but I'm not as drunk as you."

He mocked being hurt. "I'm not _that_ drunk."

Mikasa stepped towards him some, coming eerily close to his person, looking up at him. She wasn't that much shorter than him; she just barely was underneath him.

"You are." She said lowly.

Jean knew this wasn't supposed to be happening. For no reason would Mikasa be this close to him, willingly; it was just the alcohol and the setting.

But he couldn't stop himself, and he didn't want to try, from stepping towards her as well, standing over her, close enough that he could see the details of her eyes; a light brown rimmed with black.

Then he said, "Take a shot with me."

Mikasa turned her head and bit her bottom lip, looking unsure. If she was even considering it, then she was more drunk than she was letting on.

"Okay." She answered after a moment, stepping around him to set her cup of water on the island, soon to be forgotten.

Jean shuffled to the counter, heart pounding as he asked, "What do you wanna drink?"

"I don't care." She answered.

Jean looked over his shoulder. She was sitting on the island now, shorts so short that they were hidden underneath her long shirt, making her legs look even barer.

"Vodka." He stated flatly.

He rinsed out two shot glasses, bringing them over to the island, along with a half empty bottle of vodka. (Alcohol bottles were never half full, only half empty).

He could feel Mikasa watching him pour, and he wasn't sure what to make of it. He was feeling hot, and he blamed it on the drinks.

"Here ya go." He said, handing her a shot glass. "Let's just clink, okay?"

"Okay." She nodded. She was smiling; it was weird.

"I'll count." He said, clearing his throat. "Three, two, one."

They clinked glasses, and both tossed their heads back to down the drink.

Jean didn't think the liquor was burning as much as it was earlier, he'd gotten used to it. Now, it was just going straight to the head. He could feel his head start to swim before he even slammed the glass back on the island, wiping the corner of his mouth.

Mikasa's eyes were shut tight, and she was making a displeased face.

"Gross." She said, setting her glass down gently.

"Well, I don't think anybody drinks for the taste." Jean said, leaning on the counter, because he really needed some support right then.

The music was louder, or so he thought. He could hear the others laughing, cursing, and cheering. He should probably be in there with them, not in here, in the kitchen with _her_ , because if he had a hard time figuring out what to say to her when sober, he could only imagine what he was about to do drunk.

"Hey, Jean."

"Yeah?" He asked, raising his eyes to hers.

"Wanna take a walk with me?" She asked, cocking an eyebrow.

Jean stood straight again, this time much slower, and he was looking skeptical. "A walk with me? You're so fucking drunk."

Mikasa laughed. It was full hearted, beautiful. "No. Not as drunk as you."

Jean bit his lip momentarily, and nodded. "Okay. One more shot, then we'll go. I think I'm done for the night anyway."

Mikasa hopped of the counter. This time she poured the vodka, and they poorly clinked their glasses, and both were wiping their mouths.

"Let's go." She said.

They left the kitchen, and Jean knew he left his shoes by the door. He was just going to slip those on, fuck socks.

He managed to find Eren in the dark living room, dancing on beat next to Marco, who was dancing awkwardly with Mina grinding on him.

"Hey." He whispered hotly in his ear. "Mikasa and I are going for a walk."

Eren stopped moving, and shook his head. "Jean…"

"It's just a walk." He interrupted. "It'll be fine."

It took a moment, and Eren looked displeased as he nodded in agreement.

Jean walked out of the living room, and down the hall to the front door. He had the hardest time slipping on his shoes, a task that was easy when sober and steady, but he was the perfect contrast at the moment.

It was no time at all before Mikasa came walking down the hall, brown combat boots slipped on over thick socks.

"Ready?" She asked.

Jean didn't answer. He opened the door and let her walk out first, shutting it carefully behind him.

Reiner's neighborhood was pretty basic. That's what Jean thought, at least. It was the standard suburbs neighborhood in Maria; nothing extraordinary about it. The houses all looked the same, and the mailboxes alternated colors from black to white by each home.

But the colors of the mailboxes didn't really matter, and neither did the duplicate houses. All that mattered was the chilly air, and the fact that the main attraction was walking next to him, arms crossed, and body close to his.

The zipper on her combat boots were clinking as they walked. Jean could feel just how dizzy he was now that he was in the fresh air, and walking a distance.

"You're not even gonna remember this, are you?"

Jean took his eyes off her boots, and looked at her face. She was looking back at him, cheeks still rosy, and eyes wide.

He laughed. "I swear, Mika. I'll remember. I'm not shitfaced."

"But you are pretty drunk."

"So are you." He argued, smirking at her. "You think you'll remember this?"

"I know I will." She answered quickly, shoving him. Jean tried to act like that didn't totally knock him off the little balance he had.

"You look great tonight." He stated.

Oh, no. He was about to start word vomiting. This was a bad idea, he knew it was a bad idea. Just like being out here alone with her was a bad idea. Just like making conversation with her. Bad, bad idea.

But she smiled instead. "You're only saying that because my legs are out."

"I see you with your legs out all the time." Jean said, turning around to walk backwards. He really hoped he wouldn't trip over something he couldn't see. "Like soccer. Or when you're just around the house. You look great all the time."

"Thanks." She said, lifting her head a bit. "You don't look so bad yourself."

His heart did a small leap.

"Why are we even out here?" He laughed out.

Mikasa shrugged. "I was trying to get some fresh air. It's getting a little wild at the house, and I need to come down."

"I bet those shots didn't help."

Mikasa rolled her eyes and grinned. "If I'm out here with you, then they definitely didn't help."

That made him laugh loudly. "Come on, I'm not such bad company."

"No, I guess you're not."

She stopped walking then, looking to her side, staring at nothing but the house on her left. Jean stopped walking backwards and started walking towards her.

"Hey, why'd you stop?"

She looked at him, face much more serious than it had been a few seconds ago.

"Why?" She asked quietly.

"Why what?" Jean inquired, super confused.

"Junior Miranda."

The chilly air suddenly felt a little hot, and Jean felt his hands go clammy.

He should've known.

He turned around and started walking the proper way. "It was nothing."

Mikasa followed him. "It couldn't have been. Not if you two fucked."

Jean was getting frustrated. "What does it matter?"

Now Mikasa looked mad. "Why would you start texting me again if you were still planning on messing around?"

Then Jean stopped, right in the middle of the road, gaping at his ex girlfriend slash best friend incredulously.

"Are you fucking kidding me?" He raised his voice.

Mikasa snapped. "What!?"

Jean threw his hands up helplessly. "Mikasa, I don't fucking…what does it matter for anyway? It's not like you were gonna give me another chance!"

She didn't respond.

Jean kept talking/yelling. "I know I don't deserve one, I get it. But fuck, I don't know! I don't know why I fucking texted you and told you that I wanted to try again. I guess I was hoping you'd actually consider it, but I knew that was a slim chance. I tried to apologize, remember? Last time we were here at Reiner's, but I guess I fucked up and said the wrong thing again, because you told me I didn't get it, whatever _it_ is, and left me in the backyard."

"Even before we dated, you'd look at me like there was something you couldn't stand about me, but you never told me you didn't want to date me. You just ignored anything I said, every compliment I gave, and still said yes when I asked you out. I fucked up, I know. I cannot apologize enough for my life, but damn it Mikasa, I'm so fucking confused!"

He was breathing heavy now from talking so fast, and when he saw that she wasn't going to say anything to combat him, he continued.

"Miranda was just something to do. Sex is just sex. I know you see it differently than that, and it's not like I don't care anything about it or myself, I just…

He broke off. Even in his inebriated state, he knew when he needed to stop talking.

"Just what?" She asked sharply.

Jean shook his head repeatedly. "Nothing. Don't worry about it. Let's just go back."

He started walking back the way they came before he even saw her make a step, and before he knew it, he was being whirled around.

"I'm sorry." She whispered.

Her hands were on the sides of his face now. Jean shook his head again.

"No. No, fuck. Sorry for what?"

She leaned forwards, lips just a mere few inches from his, and Jean could swear he felt some type of pull between them.

"For being so confusing." She said. Then she kissed him.

It wasn't a peck, no. This was a _kiss_. She tilted her head, keeping her lips on his, slowly moving them. And once he got over the initial shock of it, his mind computed that Mikasa was indeed kissing him, and he started kissing back.

Well, she was certainly being confusing. It didn't make any sense really, but then again, this whole night stopped making sense when she started talking to him, taking shots and initiating walks, and _definitely_ when she started kissing him.

They had never kissed like this. The short amount of months they had been dating, Mikasa was very strict about what could and could not be done. His hands were not to go lower than her waste, and she didn't really like him touching her there anyway. Kisses were kept short, simple, and to the point. Conversations weren't to get too rowdy. Jean respected all of that, never pushing his limits, because he had _finally_ gotten her, and he didn't want to screw up.

And that worked out _swimmingly_.

She pulled back to breath, and Jean thought that her blown eyes and warm fingers were the best things he had ever been caught in.

"You're forgiven." He accepted, and leaned back in to touch her lips again.

She let him, _god_ , she let him and it was great. The air was cold, he knew, but he felt hot, hotter than before. They stood there, running their lips over each others in the middle of the road, not paying attention to see if any cars were coming in either direction, not caring if anyone saw. This was a rare opportunity, and Jean wasn't going to squander it by worrying about others, because he didn't know if he'd ever get this chance again.

She was liquored up, probably feeling brave, and she'd probably wake up in the morning and say it was a mistake.

No, he _knew_. He knew she'd wake up and say it was a mistake, because there were little moments where Mikasa would let him in, shine a ray of hope, then she'd take it all away, leaving him back where he was; confused and wanting.

She made a small noise, and Jean pulled back, breathing in deeply.

"We shouldn't be doing this." He said quietly, not knowing why he was whispering.

Mikasa shook her head. "I know."

"Then why?"

She kept shaking her head, and pulled away from him. He might have been imagining it for a moment, but he thought he saw her eyes start to shimmer.

She began walking away, back towards Reiner's, arms crossed over her chest.

Just like that, the moment was gone. That small, temporary high Jean had felt was crashing back down. Just like he knew it would.

"It's nothing." She called over her shoulder. "Come on, it's cold."

Jean felt like punching something, but he contained himself from looking too mad. He followed behind her, eyes back on her boots, listening to the zippers on them clink each step she took.

888

He didn't remember crashing here, and he wasn't surprised that he had.

Eren was on the living room floor, rolled up in the small blanket he brought with him, head laying on an itchy couch pillow.

Ah, shit. His head was throbbing, and he plopped it back down on the pillow, because he felt that if he tried to sit up right then, last night's contents were going to reappear…out of his mouth.

He groaned. Whenever he drank, he did this. He'd have a good hangover, making him feel like crud for the next six hours, then he'd get over it, feeling tired for the rest of the day, trying to recover.

Connie was laid out on Reiner's couch, red cup still in his hand (Eren couldn't understand how). Jean was laying next to Eren, no blanket or anything, just a pillow.

Franz was laying face down next to the living room chair, which was occupied with a snoring Hannah.

He didn't see anyone else, and he was confused, because Marco and Armin should be in the living room with them.

The girls took the guest bedroom, all of them somehow accommodating themselves in one room. Bert and Reiner were obviously in Reiner's bedroom.

Eren groaned again, this time in annoyance, because he wanted to sit up, but at the same time he didn't.

He saw sunlight peaking through the closed blinds, and he reached a hand out blindly to grab for his phone that someone had kindly placed next to him.

He fumbled with it, messing up his lock code four times, and getting it right the fifth time, because he didn't want to lock himself out. He had five unread text messages, all of them from…

 _Fuck_.

No. No, no no. No. God, no. Please.

Eren felt even more sick, because so help him Tool if he had drunk texted Levi he was going to die right there on Reiner's trashed living room floor.

He had.

"Oh my god." He groaned, absolutely embarrassed and scared to see what he managed to text Levi.

He forced himself to sit up, albeit slowly, and took a deep breath before inhaling and opening the conversation from last night.

 **Jaegerbomb – Sat. 12:32 am**

' _Yo.'_

"Oh, god." He whined.

 **Levi – Sat. 12:34 am**

' _Hey.'_

 **Jaegerbomb – Sat. 12:35 am**

' _Wyd Leviii?'_

 **Levi – Sat. 12:37 am**

' _Reading your text messages, thoroughly confused.'_

 **Jaegerbomb – Sat. 12:39 am**

' _LOL ur so funnyyyyy!'_

"No."

 **Levi – Sat. 12:42 am**

' _What is wrong with you?'_

 **Jaegerbomb – Sat. 12:44 am**

' _Nothingggggggg! LOL'_

 **Levi – Sat. 12:46 am**

' _You're drunk right now, aren't you?'_

 **Jaegerbomb – Sat. 12:48 am**

' _Oooops. U caught me! Lol.'_

 **Levi – Sat. 12:52 am**

' _Where are you right now?'_

 **Jaegerbomb – Sat. 12:56 am**

' _Im at my friend Reiners house. Why you wanna come by?'_

 **Levi – Sat. 12:58 am**

' _No. I was just checking. Don't leave the house.'_

 **Jaegerbomb – Sat. 1:00 am**

' _Lol, im not. I wish u could come by.'_

 **Levi – Sat. 1:03 am**

' _I'm going to indulge you and ask, why?'_

"Jesus, no."

 **Jaegerbomb – Sat. 1:05 am**

' _Cuz ur cute, and u r cool.'_

 **Levi – Sat. 1:07 am**

'… _Wow. Thanks.'_

 **Jaegerbomb – Sat. 1:09am**

' _Np! YYeah ur good looking. Ive just been scared to telllll u.'_

 **Levi – Sat. 1:12 am**

' _You're really drunk right now.'_

 **Jaegerbomb – Sat. 1:15 am**

' _Hellz yeah I am. I feel sleepyyy tho. You wanna know sumthin else leviii?'_

 **Levi – Sat. 1:18 am**

' _Sure.'_

 **Levi – Sat. 1:25 am**

' _Are you going to tell me?'_

 **Levi – Sat. 1:30 am**

' _Hello?'_

 **Levi – Sat. 1:34 am**

' _Did you pass out? I bet you've passed out.'_

 **Levi – Sat. 1:37 am**

' _I hope you have the worst hangover when you wake up.'_

"Hey, Eren, are you alright?"

Eren knew that voice, it was Armin. It sounded like he was coming from down the hall, but Eren didn't look at him. He couldn't.

"You look sick. I think you overdid it last night." Armin said, setting a trash bin next to him. "But that's nothing new."

Eren dropped his phone in his lap, and stared.

"Eren, what's wrong?"

Eren turned to look at his best friend, his smart, responsible, not drunk best friend, dressed up in a Trost SGA shirt, all bright and ready to go.

"I'm going to throw myself in front of a bus." Eren said quietly, voice hoarse. "I'm gonna do it."

Eren started to move like he was going to get up and literally go do just that, but Armin placed a hand on his chest.

"Hey, okay, lay back down."

Eren did, letting Armin's gentle hands guide him back to the floor. He situated the blanket back over himself.

"What's going on?"

Eren snatched up his phone and unlocked it again, handing it to Armin harshly, burying his face in his hands.

It was silent while Armin read the chain, and soon, Eren felt a hand on his shoulder.

"Oh, Eren…

"Don't." He interrupted. "I literally cannot believe I text him so late, probably disturbing him from sleep or whatever the fuck he was doing, to basically tell him he's hot and…

"Calm down." Armin said. "You'll make yourself sick if you upset yourself."

Eren wanted to cry really. "Why, Armin? I've never drunk texted anyone before. Why now? Why him!?"

There was more silence, then he heard Armin laughing, trying to be quiet, but wasn't succeeding.

Eren looked over his shoulder to him. "This is funny to you, yeah?"

Armin was red in the face from laughing too hard. "I-I'm sorry. Eren, why didn't you tell me you had a crush on your tutor?"

"Armin!"

"Who has a crush on who?"

Both alert boys turned to the source of the voice, and found that it was Connie, whose eyes were still shut tight.

"Nothing." Eren answered quickly. "Armin, please."

"You're secret is safe with me." Armin said, leaning in to get by his ear. "And Levi, apparently."

Eren buried his face in his pillow.

Armin was absolutely dying, laughing silently, and wiping the corner of his eyes.

"Look, I have to go." He said, calming down. "I have to get to the fundraiser. Take it easy, alright? Recover well."

Eren didn't lift his face from his pillow, but he nodded, and Armin clapped him softly on the shoulder before setting his phone down by Eren's head, and standing up.

This was unreal. This was totally unreal. This couldn't have happened. Never in the history of ever has Eren…look, this was a big mistake, a drunken one that he needed to apologize for. Levi was an adult, a responsible adult who was kind enough to take on an extra job of tutoring him, and he completely made an ass of himself, drunkenly admitting a lie.

It was lie. Levi may be good looking, but Eren didn't think he was cute.

Yeah.

Mhmm.

 _Right_.

He picked up his phone in a huff, and began typing.

 **Jaegerbomb – Sat. 8:43 am**

' _Hey, goodmorning. Levi, I apologize for last night. I was so drunk and it was very wrong of me to disturb you with my nonsense. Everything I said was just a result of me being under the influence of alcohol and I can assure you that will never happen again. Also, I'm pretty sure I don't have to ask, but I would highly appreciate it if you didn't tell my mom about this. Thanks and sorry again.'_

Eren managed to push himself to stand, but he waited a moment before he moved, because the room was spinning.

"Connie." He croaked. He cleared his throat and tried again. "Connie."

"Hmm?" Was the response.

"You want some water?"

"Mmm, yeah."

Eren gradually moved towards the kitchen, stepping over empty red cups and random pieces of paper.

What the hell happened last night?

He couldn't remember, really. Everything after Ring of Fire was either a blur, or totally forgotten. Armin was right; he had overdid it, because he couldn't even remember having an entire conversation with someone, or passing out.

The kitchen counters were littered with bottles of all sorts, and Eren felt like if he took another swig for fun, he'd vomit all his troubles away.

Instead, he grabbed a clean cup, and filled it with water, straight from the tap, sat down on the kitchen floor, and began sipping it.

His phone buzzed, and he quickly set aside the water for the phone, looking to see if he had gotten a text back.

He did.

He wasn't expecting Levi to reply so fast, but he had, and Eren felt like he was about to be judged.

 **Levi – Sat. 9:04 am**

' _I won't tell, of course. As long as you're safe, that's all I even care about.'_

Eren felt like a huge weight had been lifted off his stomach, and he closed his eyes and breathed deeply to calm his rapidly beating heart.

 **Jaegerbomb – Sat. 9:06 am**

' _Thanks so much. I'm sorry again.'_

 **Levi – Sat. 9:08 am**

' _It's alright. By the way, Eren…'_

Ooop, the apprehension was back.

 **Jaegerbomb – Sat. 9:10 am**

' _Yes?'_

 **Levi – Sat. 9:12 am**

' _Alcohol only makes you more honest.'_

And that is the story of how Eren Jaeger died.


	11. Chapter 11

Reiner slammed a hand down on the table. "Yeah yeah yeah, but does someone want to explain how the hell my toothbrush found its way to my garden?"

The lunch table had everyone present, even Connie, and it was Mina who was the one to answer.

"I have no idea. I don't even remember some things from that night. All I remember is waking up in the bathroom, and having Marco hold my hair while I puked."

Marco shook his head. "All of you," he said, pointing around the table. "All of you overdid it."

Ymir shrugged. "You're lucky I stopped the game when I did," she nodded at Mina. "It could have been worse."

Eren shook his head. He didn't want to think about Friday night.

He hadn't spoken to Levi since Saturday morning when he text-message apologized, and Levi pretty much reminded him that all that crap spewing from his fingers when he drunk texted him was the truth, and Eren was so damn embarrassed that he didn't even text him back after that.

Because really, what could he say? There was nothing to say to that. It's not like he could be like 'hey, yeah, I think you're hot. You're a hot tutor.'

He technically could, like, he was _physically_ able, but he couldn't, ya know?

It was a new school week, and this one was big. He had two projects due, one in English, and the other in Government. He had started on neither. He had two soccer practices that week. One on Wednesday, as usual, and an extra one Thursday, because their first game was Friday night, on the home field.

Add that to his tutoring on Tuesday's and Thursday's, and he had a full schedule.

"Did anyone find my watch?" Connie asked. "It's a g-shock, ya know, pretty nice. I'd like it back."

"I'll look for it when I get home." Reiner answered, sighing.

"Hey," Jean said, "you never told us how it went with that football scout from Dawk University."

Annie raised an eyebrow. "Yeah. I was trying not to ask, but now that it's been brought up…

"What happened?" Connie finished.

Everyone was looking at Reiner, and he smiled nervously and cleared his throat.

"Well, uh, it's looking like they want me. They want to offer me a full ride, four years, and I get to stay in the sports dorms, which are like, nicer than everyone else's. The scout said the physical therapy program was A1, and that it would be a good choice for me to take up as a major."

Eren raised a hand. "So, basically, you're committing to Dawk?"

Reiner shook his head quickly. "For one, I'm not supposed to answer that with a yes or no, but since you all are my family, I can say that I am seriously considering it."

Armin nodded, and Jean started a slow clap. Soon, the whole table was clapping, except for Bert and Reiner, and the other seniors in the courtyard started clapping as well, having no idea what they were applauding.

"What are we clapping for!?" Someone random yelled out.

Ymir yelled back. "Jean finally admitted he's a fuckboy."

That made everyone in the courtyard laugh, and even Jean, who was trying his best to look peeved, smirked.

"Screw you."

Ymir turned to look at him. "Nah, I think you already did enough of that with Mikasa Friday night."

There was a collective 'oooh' from everyone at the table. Mikasa was looking at her empty lunch tray, Jean was slightly telling Ymir off, and Eren was looking back and forth between the two.

"Wait, what!?" He yelled.

Mikasa put up a hand. "No, we only went for a walk."

"It was short." Jean added, side-eyeing Mikasa while answering.

Eren saw it, he could feel the tension between them.

"You probably don't remember that." Krista said nicely, placing a soft hand on his shoulder. "You were drunk."

He nodded, and Sasha conveniently changed the subject to something much more light hearted.

888

"What did you do to Mikasa?"

Jean didn't even flinch. He continued working out of his book, typing away at his calculator.

"Nothing."

Eren's eyebrows were drawn down. "It's not nothing. I saw the look you gave her at lunch, and you two didn't even so much as breath in each other's direction in the car this morning."

"How is that anything out of the ordinary?"

Eren clenched and unclenched a hand. He loved Jean, he did, but…

"This is my sister we're talking about." He stated firmly, quietly as to not gain any unwanted attention from his Stats peers and teacher.

Jean placed his calculator down slowly, and turned his head to give Eren his smart ass grin.

"Why don't you ask her?"

"Because I'm asking you, jack ass."

"It's nothing."

"That means there's something."

"No."

"Jean."

"Eren, seriously, chill."

"Did you touch her?"

"Eren, I…

"Yes or no."

"Man, what the fuck is your problem?"

"Yes or no."

"We kissed."

"Yes or no- wait, what!?"

He shouted that last part, and he officially had all eyes on him.

"Mr. Jaeger," Mr. Moore began, pushing up his glasses on his nose. "Do you need to step outside and calm down?"

"No sir." Eren answered quickly, eyes still boring into Jean. "Sorry for disrupting."

See, that could have escalated into something much more ugly, but Levi had kindly (and sternly) advised him that staying out of conflict with his teacher was a better option than popping off at the mouth. He defended his claim by saying that no one wants to listen to someone they don't like, and that was part of the reason why Eren was struggling in Statistics. He didn't like his teacher.

So, Eren had been trying to do just that. Instead of being a little menace, he actually came in quietly and did his work, talked to Jean less, and got up to ask questions when he needed to. There was no pride when it concerned his grades.

Everyone got back to working, and Jean talked quietly.

"She was drunk, I was drunk, but she kissed me first. Then I kissed her back. We kissed."

Eren looked truly disturbed. This wasn't supposed to be happening. He'd forgiven Jean a long time ago, but that didn't mean he forgot what he did to Mikasa.

"Why do you keep doing this?" Eren asked.

Jean looked pissed. "Ask her. Ask her why she kissed me. I didn't do a damn thing to her. I was the one that said that we shouldn't be doing it, and she agreed, and walked away. We headed back to Reiner's. That's all."

"I'll ask her." Eren answered harshly. "I'll ask her what happened."

"So I'm lying?"

"No, Jean, fuck." Eren ran a hand through his hair and pulled. "It's just… shit didn't work out between you two before, it never does. Why don't you just…stop?"

Jean stopped moving his pencil, and twirled it in his right hand three times before clicking his tongue and answering.

"You know, I can't even remember what happened when we got back to Reiner's. I vaguely remember going back into the kitchen to drink, but everything else is a blur. Yet, I remember that walk with her perfectly well."

Eren watched Jean talk. His friend's eyes were trained on his notebook paper, and he was still twirling that pencil.

"I don't know why I don't just stop, Eren." He answered defensively. "It's not like I don't want to."

And Jean got back to work, leaving Eren to ponder those words. Eren picked up his own pencil and inhaled deeply before starting his work. He needed to worry about his grades right now. All that other stuff would have to be addressed another time.

888

"So, do you like him?"

Mikasa threw a balled up piece of paper from her spot at her desk to her dear friend lying on her bed. Annie dodged, of course, and asked again.

"Come on, do you like him?"

Mikasa bit the inside of her cheek, trying to give herself time to think of a viable answer.

"I don't know."

Annie scoffed. "Is that the lie you're going to tell me, or is that the truth you're finally admitting?"

Mikasa swiveled around in her chair and shot Annie a look.

"You know I don't lie to you."

"I dunno." Annie said, laying back don on her back and staring up at the ceiling. "You didn't even have the decency to tell me you two kissed."

"It wasn't worth mentioning." Mikasa mumbled. She stood up from her desk and threw her pencil down; she'd just have to resume her Calculus homework later.

She gestured at Annie to move her legs over some so she could lie down and mock her position. She shrugged her shoulders and got comfortable.

"Do you regret it?" Annie asked, looking over at Mikasa.

"If regret is defined as being disappointed in something that has happened or been done, then I can say that what I feel does not fit that definition."

"So in Layman's terms," Annie added quickly, "you don't."

Mikasa raised an eyebrow. "I didn't say that. I said what I feel does not feel like regret, but that doesn't mean that it's not regret."

Annie huffed. "I've never known you to be so wordy."

"I've never known you to be so nosy."

Annie looked back over at her, and saw that Mikasa looked serious.

"My nose looks like a hook; it's for reeling out information."

Both girls laughed at that, and Mikasa was hoping that the topic would change. But this was Annie she was talking to.

"Do you know why you did it?"

Mikasa sighed heavily. "Why does anyone do anything?"

"Alright Confucius. I want some real answers now."

Mikasa held her eyes closed for a moment before turning over on her side and propping herself up on her elbow.

"Is this girl talk?"

Annie threw her hands up. "This is just regular fucking friend talk. Why'd you kiss Jean?"

"I told you, I don't know."

"Guess!"

Mikasa frowned. "It's not some nonsensical shit like 'I like him' or anything like that."

Annie laughed sharply. "I know this world is full of billions of people with different personalities, but people do not tend to kiss other people they don't like."

"I don't like Jean."

"Romantically."

"I've always liked him as a friend. So have you."

"Yeah. Don't get me wrong, Jean's got potential."

Mikasa was confused at that. "Potential?"

Annie counted on her fingers. "He's hella good looking, he's got money, he's soccer captain, he loves riding horses, which gives him a nice ass, so that's always a plus."

Mikasa covered her face with her small turtle pillow Eren won for her at the local fair sixth grade year.

"Yet notice how I didn't name anything off about his personality."

Mikasa uncovered her face. "You didn't."

"Because as much as I love Jean," Annie began, sitting up and balancing on her arms, "he has his downfalls."

"So does everyone else." Mikasa countered.

"Yes, but _I'm_ not the one that's romantically interested in him, so his downfalls and mistakes don't matter to me, really."

"Then who is?"

"You."

"No."

"Mikasa, seriously. You didn't just kiss him because you were drunk and he's cute. You _were_ drunk, but you weren't fucked like he was."

When the other teen didn't respond, Annie sighed and plopped back on the bed.

"Nothing you say will leave this room, you know that, right?"

"I know that." Mikasa answered with assurance. "It's not about trust, here."

"Then why won't you tell me?"

"If I had the answer myself I would."

"So, you're saying you don't know why you kissed him, and you don't know if you like him still?"

Mikasa swung her pillow at Annie's face. "Can you please stop?"

Annie punched Mikasa's arm lightly. "Fine, fine. Don't tell me. But don't sit here and lie and say you have no idea what you're feeling. You must know something."

Mikasa contemplated. She knew, but she didn't know how to articulate it.

"If I figure it out, I'll let you know." Mikasa said, placing finalization in her tone. "Are you staying for dinner?"

"Carla's making frito chili." Annie stated bluntly. "Why the fuck would I be anywhere else?"

Mikasa laughed and rolled off the bed. "Cool. Armin's coming over for dinner too."

Annie smirked. "That's good."

Mikasa sat back down in her desk chair and picked up her pencil. She started where she left off, trying to remember exactly what it was she needed to do next.

"When does he leave for Rochester? Annie asked.

"At the end of June. A few weeks after graduation."

"Why so early?"

"He's taking a summer class. I'm not sure what subject."

It was a little while longer before Annie spoke.

"It sucks that he won't be here for the summer. We hardly see him as is."

Mikasa looked over her shoulder. "Missing him already?"

Annie presented her with a lovely middle finger. "Fuck you."

Mikasa smiled. "How do you feel about him?"

"It's the same today as it has been yesterday and every other day. I'm fond of him."

"I'm fond of him too, Annie, but I think it's a different fondness."

"We go on _one_ date freshman year and go to homecoming and you want me to take it to my grave."

"You two were cute for homecoming. Both of you looked good in royal blue."

"I hope you get a frito stuck in your throat tonight."

They laughed again, shrugging off topics of boys and talking about soccer.

"When do you and Jean leave for Dawk U?" Annie asked.

"For the fall semester." Mikasa answered. "So we'll still be here for the summer. We do have orientation in the middle of June, but that's only for a weekend."

"You think I'll get scouted?"

"If not for Dawk U, then definitely for somewhere else. Maybe Smith."

Annie groaned. "If I get a scholarship."

Mikasa nodded. "You have the potential. So does Eren, and Connie. Maybe Marco."

Annie shook her head. "Connie's in a disposition, and soccer is the last thing on his mind. He can't play right now because he's taking care of the family, so he won't be getting scouted. Marco could, if he just did a little bit better as goalie. He has a hard time being assertive."

"Eren's the best on the team," Mikasa interrupted. "So why won't he get scouted?"

"I don't know." Annie answered. "I have a good feeling he will, though maybe not to Dawk."

"If a scout with a decent brain comes and watches Eren and Jean play together," Mikasa said, flicking her hair behind her shoulder, "then they'll definitely scout Eren."

Annie didn't respond with words, only a knowing hum. Then she asked, "When are you cutting your hair?"

Mikasa turned around in her chair again, swinging her feet. "What are you doing tomorrow night?"

Annie flicked at a nail. "Nothing."

"Homework?"

"Yes, but that doesn't change my schedule."

Mikasa stood up and walked over to the body mirror on her closet door. She brought her dark hair over her shoulders, ran her fingers through it, and debated whether it was worth keeping.

"Will you cut me and Eren after school?"

Annie looked at her friend, then back at her nails. "Sure. I've got time."

888

"Eren, would you mind getting the extra chairs out of the garage and setting them around the table?"

Eren frowned in confusion, but agreed. "No problem. Who's all coming?"

Carla sing-songed. "Well, it's you, me, Mikasa, Annie, Armin, Isabel, Farlan, and Levi."

Carla was happily chopping orange and green bell peppers on her wooden cutting board, humming something off tune, completely oblivious to her gaping son behind her.

Eren stood glued in his spot, staring the back of his mother's head, wondering if this was probable cause to finally run away or not.

"Why?" He asked accusingly.

Carla turned around, looking puzzled. "Why? Why not? Everybody likes chili."

Eren shook his head. "Well, why don't you invite the rest of Maria while you're at it!"

Carla laughed incredulously. "Well, mister, don't you sound selfish. There will be plenty to go around, and there will be leftovers. Maybe. Now, go get the chairs."

Instead of continuing to argue like he wanted to, he turned around and headed for the garage door. As soon as he felt like he was a safe distance into the garage, he cursed.

"Fuck. Shit." He said under his breath.

There were four extra fold out chairs that would have to be placed at the table to accommodate everyone, and Eren grabbed a stained cloth off the garage shelf to wipe the dusts off the chairs.

This was absolutely perfect. He had already been dreading seeing Levi for tutoring tomorrow, but now he'd have to eat with him. He'd have to eat at a table with Levi and try not to make eye contact.

This is fan-fucking-tastic. He knew Carla had no way of knowing, but he really didn't want to see Levi. Not today.

His stomach did a gross flip at the thought of it. Would he even be able to eat comfortably? Oh god, what if Eren ended up sitting next to him?

"Eren?"

Eren whirled around to the garage door, seeing his best friend in the threshold.

"Hey." He said. "Close the door behind you."

Armin stepped down into the garage, quietly shutting the door.

"Who are all these chairs for?"

Eren shook his head. "Apparently, my lovely mother invited the people from across the street to dinner tonight."

Armin closed his eyes and smirked. "One of those people being Levi."

Eren snatched the cloth from one chair and began wiping down another. "It doesn't cost that much to catch a bus out of town, you know. I could find my way. Get my own cardboard box, so I don't have to pay any kind of rent. Restaurant dumpsters have a lot of food in them too."

Armin was cackling. "Eren, stop. You will be perfectly fine."

Eren stopped cleaning the seat and stood up straight, throwing his head back and sighing like an old man.

"I know, but still. It's gonna be awkward."

"Come on, Eren. I'm pretty sure Levi doesn't think you have a crush on him or something."

Eren's eyes flew open, and he quickly resumed cleaning the chair.

Armin leaned forward on his toes, hands in his jean pockets, looking skeptical.

"Unless," he began, inching forward. "You, in fact, do have a crush on him."

Eren laughed. "Are you kidding me, Armin? He's a guy."

Armin shook his head. "Eren Jaeger, seriously?"

Eren groaned. "Okay, so maybe him being a guy doesn't matter. I mean, it doesn't. But I certainly don't have a crush on him, okay?"

Armin crossed his arms.

"I mean," Eren continued, his back once again turned to Armin, "yeah, he's good looking. He wears cool band t-shirts. He's funny in his own way, and he's really helping me in Stats. His haircut is cool too. That undercut thing he's got going on is great. But none of those things means I have a crush on him."

"Yeah, he brought me a milkshake for passing my Stats quiz, but that was nothing. And yeah, we kind of have texted casually before, but Levi's an adult in college with a job and I'm just a high schooler who's barely passing his math class. It's nothing."

Armin tilted his head to the side.

"He's got a cool laugh, whenever he does laugh. His teeth are like, super fucking straight. Speaking of straight, he loves for everything to be straight. Like, lines and stuff. He gets at me all the time about that, not being able to draw a straight line. He even took that damn picket fence up because it wasn't straight. Like, who does that?"

Armin cocked an eyebrow.

"At first, I thought he was a dick, and he kind of is, but not in a mean way. He's just kind of off-putting, if you don't know him. But once he gets to know you, it's cool. He's cool. Levi's really cool."

There was silence, save for the tick of the old kitten clock on the garage wall. Eren was harshly rubbing down the legs and bolts of the chair, and Armin was still standing behind him.

"It sounds like someone…

"Armin," Eren interrupted quickly, "if you still wanna be my friend, you won't finish that sentence."

Armin covered his mouth to avoid letting a laugh out. "You don't even know what I was going to say."

"I do." Eren countered.

"What then?"

Eren turned back around, flinging the cloth at Armin, who caught it.

"You were going to say 'sounds like someone has a crush.'"

"No." Armin said, flinging the cloth back. "I was going to say 'sounds like someone is in denial.'"

"That's basically the same thing!"

Armin finally burst into laughter. "Oh god, Eren, were you listening to yourself? He's got a cool laugh. Straight teeth. Not to mention, you think he's hot!"

"I didn't invite you here to mock me."

"You didn't invite me at all." Armin argued. "Mikasa did. And you cannot get mad at me because _you're_ being obvious."

Eren threw the cloth at Armin's face, not giving the other any kind of warning. It hit Armin in the face with a small puff of dust, making him cough and sneeze.

"Damn it, Eren."

"I'm not being obvious. There's nothing to be obvious about."

Armin was still sniffling, wiping his nose. "Oh, really?"

"Yeah!" Eren said, waving his hands.

Armin shook his head in disagreement. "When was the last time you've had a serious crush on somebody?"

Eren sat down in a chair, running his hands through his long hair. "You know since when."

"Since sophomore year, with that guy off the swim team. What was his name?"

Eren smirked and pointed a finger at Armin. "Careful, coconut. You're treading dangerous territory now."

"His name was unique. He was a really good swimmer, last leg, you remember?"

"Yes, I remember, Armin, goddamnit. None of that matters now, though."

Armin went and sat in the other chair next to Eren. "Ah, I guess you're right. It doesn't matter, since you have a crush on Levi now."

Eren punched Armin in the arm, making the blond teen fall out of his chair laughing, and groaning in pain, clutching at his arm.

"You wound me."

Eren pulled his phone out of his pocket. "I told you to be careful."

"Abusive."

"Yeah, yeah, now clean those other two chairs. I have a feeling we're gonna be sitting in these anyway. Mom's gonna give the good chairs to the guests."

"I'm a guest."

"Please, Armin. You're her son."

888

It was exactly seven o'clock when the doorbell rang, and Carla yelled out of the kitchen.

"Eren, would you mind getting that for me?"

Eren was sitting on the living room couch with his legs thrown over Annie's. Armin was in the chair with Mikasa sitting at his feet, and they were watching some foreign movie on Netflix.

It was actually pretty good. It was one of those 'I'm an assassin so I can be free one day, and free my family' stories, but it was action packed, and deep, so Eren was into it.

He shot Armin a look across the living room when he stood up to do as his mother asked. Armin gave him a smile and nod of assurance, and Eren turned around.

Isabel was standing in the center, with Farlan to her left and Levi to her right. All three of them were looking great.

"Hey, Eren!" She chirped, clapping him on the shoulder. "We're ready for the chili."

Eren smiled. "Well, come on in. Mom's almost done, I think."

Eren moved out of the way while they ushered themselves in. He didn't directly look at Levi, but he looked right at his feet as he walked in. He was wearing black, shiny Keds.

They walked into the living room, and Farlan spoke up.

"Oh, hey, I've seen this before."

Mikasa stood up and walked over to shake their hands. "Oh really?"

"Yeah." He answered, shaking her hand firmly. "I was on a Netflix binge, bored out of my mind, and stumbled upon it."

"Same here." Annie said, standing up to introduce herself as well. "I'm Annie."

Farlan tilted his head and pressed his lips together. "I remember you. You were at _Swively's_ with Eren and the rest of them."

Isabel walked forward and shook her hand. "It's nice to meet you, Annie. I'm Isabel."

Mikasa cleared her throat. "Annie, Armin, this is Levi," she said, gesturing to the lone man still standing in the living room threshold. "Levi, these are two of my best friends, and Eren's caretakers."

Armin waved. "Hello."

Annie narrowed her eyes. "Haven't I seen you somewhere before?"

Levi finally stepped in the living room and nodded. "Coach Hanji is one of my good friends, and she invited me to see your first practice game."

Annie inclined her head slowly. "Oh, yeah. Nice to see you again."

Mikasa moved. "You can sit on the couch, and one of you can get the chair. I'm going to go in the kitchen and see if mom needs help."

"I can go with you." Eren said, sliding his hands in his pockets.

"Nah." Mikasa said, smirking. "I'm good."

She left the room, and Isabel and Farlan were apologetically taking the seats on the small couch, while Levi took the chair adjacent from them.

"Sorry we took your seats, guys." Isabel said, smiling nervously.

"No, it's cool." Eren said, sitting on the floor on the other side of the room. Annie and Armin came and sat next to him.

All six of them continued watching the movie, with Farlan giving little snippets of information here and there, much to Eren's liking. Because as good as the movie was, he didn't think they'd be able to finish it, and he didn't want to try to come back and watch it later.

Eren tried really, really hard to keep his eyes glued to the screen, and not take in Levi, who was sitting directly across from him, with a leg propped up on a knee.

He probably looked good, like always. Matter of fact, all three of them dressed nice. Eren wondered if that was a household rule for them. 'No one leaves this house looking like anything less than perfection.'

Farlan and Isabel were sitting kind of close to each other, and while Eren was a little skeptical as to what their relationship was, he didn't think much of it. After all, he was just on the couch a few minutes ago with his entire lower half thrown on Annie, talking about their marriage and where they were going to honeymoon.

Annie consistently ignored him.

Mikasa poked her head back in the living room about ten minutes later. "Hey, dinner's ready."

"Finally." Annie said, standing up with a stretch, making her plaid shirt rise little over her stomach. "I'm starving."

"Yeah, I'm kind of hungry too."

Eren stood up. "You can go ahead. Guests first."

Isabel and Farlan thanked Eren on their way out, behind Armin and Annie, leaving Eren alone in the living room with Levi.

"Hey," Eren said, looking down and away, "you can go ahead too."

Levi shrugged. "I'll wait to the rush clears out. I kind of want to keep watching this too."

"Oh." Eren said, popping his lips once and sitting on the couch.

He sat bone straight, his back erect and his hands perfectly still by his sides. He could have been a statue, except he wasn't, and his stomach was doing that gross _flippy_ thing again.

"Eren."

Eren looked over at Levi and froze. He wasn't aware that he was holding his breath. Levi was looking at him with a disbelieving expression. He spoke quietly, almost so that Eren couldn't hear him, but he did.

"What is wrong with you?" He inquired, and soon his perplexed face was replaced with a knowing smirk.

Eren let out a breath, and smirked awkwardly. "Nothing. Why?"

"You're so tense, it's making me nervous." He answered. "Relax."

It took a moment for Eren to register, but he realized that Levi was being… _playful_ with him.

He had turned back to the television, continuing to watch the action unfold. Eren was still looking at him. He had on a white shirt underneath a deep turquoise cardigan. It went perfect with his dark jeans.

"I'm sorry again."

Levi tilted his head in nonchalance. "I told you it's fine."

Levi looked back over, and then Eren turned back to the TV to avoid eye contact, making the other man laugh through his nose, and Eren smile like an idiot and bite his bottom lip.

Soon, Eren was laughing silently, his breath coming out of his nose, and Levi was smiling, still looking at him.

"It's just," Eren began, shaking his head in defeat, "uh, a little awkward, you know."

Levi nodded. "I know, but you don't have to be awkward around me. This is going to sound archaic of me, but I remember when I was your age."

Eren laughed out loud. "Oh, god. That does make you sound old."

"Granted, that was seven or eight years ago, but I remember."

Eren leaned forward and placed his elbows on his knees, completely forgetting the movie in front of him and focusing on something much more interesting.

"What? You used to party?"

Levi bit his lip and lifted his eyes in contemplation. "Well, I guess you could say that."

"Guess?"

Levi leaned forward and mirrored Eren's positions. "Well, it's not like I was some hard core partier. Occasionally, when there was an occasion, and I had time, I'd meet up with some friends and drink."

Eren approved. "Nice. Did those friends include Farlan and Isabel?"

"Yeah, and some others."

Eren nodded. "Okay, cool. But I bet you've never drunk texted anybody."

That _really_ made Levi laugh. "Eren, you have no idea."

Eren's eyes grew wide. "You make it sound like you've done worse."

Levi winked at him, and stood up. "I don't know, I do have a few years on you."

He walked out the living room, and left Eren with a flippy stomach. No, it was more than flippy, it was like a Vortex Springs ice cold water-churning thing going on, and it left him a little light headed.

Because did he just fucking… wink!?

Levi winked at him. He winked. Eren didn't imagine it. He saw it. He seent it!

He finally got up, breathing deeply before he paused the movie on Mikasa's laptop and turned the TV off. He had a slight close-lipped smile going on, and he tried to get rid of it before he walked into the kitchen.

Isabel, Farlan, Annie, and Armin were already seated at the table, while Mikasa was trying to convince Carla to go ahead and serve herself.

"It's alright, ma. You've done all the cooking."

"Wait, I have to let Levi go first."

"No need, Miss Carla. You can go ahead."

Carla grinned. "Oh, are you sure?"

"Of course."

Carla went ahead, grabbing one of the deep white bowls she had set out for the chili, and serving herself.

"Now remember, there's more fritos up here if anyone wants them."

Eren slid in. "Yeah, I'm just gonna…go ahead and put those on the table." He grabbed the whole bag, stepping behind Armin and giving it to him. He was going to kill that whole bag of fritos.

Eren waved a hand for Mikasa and Levi to step in front of him, and they both thanked him while they filled their bowls.

Soon, the table was occupied with everyone, and Eren was kicking Mikasa's leg next to his for no apparent reason, and Annie glared at him.

"When does the soccer season start?" Farlan asked, looking around the table.

"Friday." Eren said, grinning. "First game is a home game. Girls at six, boys at seven thirty."

"Whose it against?"

"It's Olbd High." Mikasa answered, because Eren really wasn't sure.

Levi spoke up. "That's the school you all played in the practice game."

"Yeah," Annie said, "they're alright."

"Do you think you'll beat them again?" He asked.

All three of the soccer players at the table smirked. "Yes."

Carla spoke to Levi. "You know about the practice game?"

"Yes ma'am. Coach Hanji is a good friend of mine, and she incited me to see her teams play."

"Oh!" Carla exclaimed. "Maria is such a small place."

"It is." Isabel agreed. "I was surprised when we moved here and kept seeing familiar faces."

"So, wait," Annie began, "where were you guys before?"

All three of those inquired were meeting each other's eyes, as if to designate someone to answer.

It was Farlan. "Stohess."

Everyone looked shocked.

"That's so far away." Armin said. "It's approximately a three days drive."

"If you barely stop and you're driving fast." Isabel clarified. "But yeah."

"What brought you all the way to Maria?" Carla asked.

Eren had stopped inhaling his chili. He was fully engaged in the conversation now.

It was Levi. "I got accepted to Smith University, and fortunately was given an internship, which evolved into a job once I got my degree, and I currently manage student and faculty accounts and funding."

"And we're his best friends, so we weren't going to let him move to an unfamiliar place alone." Isabel added.

"So we found a spacious house all three of us could afford in the neighborhood." Farlan concluded.

"Cool." Mikasa said. "If you don't mind me asking, you two didn't attend college?"

Isabel and Farlan seemed to be cool with the question, and it was Isabel who answered.

"Never quite had the time. It's okay, though. I like my little salon job."

"And I don't wanna work at _Swively's_ forever," Farlan continued. "It's just a temporary thing. I'm actually trying to save up so I can go to college, and major in Psychology."

"That's good. There are always people who need help." Armin said.

"What about you guys?" Isabel asked, finishing the last of her chili. "It's the big ol' senior year, you're about to step into life."

Mikasa shrugged. "Well, I got a soccer scholarship to Dawk University."

Isabel and Farlan looked at each other immediately, and started laughing. Levi made a face.

"That's…good." He said.

Eren was looking at him. "Aren't Smith and Dawk rivals or something?"

Isabel finished laughing. "Oh, in _every_ way."

"But that's good that you got the scholarship." Farlan praised. "What about the rest of you?"

Annie tilted her head. "I don't know yet. I want to go to Dawk, but I can't afford it unless I get a scholarship. I actually couldn't afford Smith unless I got a scholarship, and that's local. I'm thinking I might have to do my pre-requisites at Maria Community, then transfer."

"Well, there's nothing wrong with that." Isabel said. "What about you, Armin?"

"Oh, well, I uh-

"Oh, don't be humble." Annie said, poking him in the arm. "Shout it from the rooftops."

Armin laughed. "Well, I got a full ride scholarship to Rochester."

All three of them gaped, and Levi whistled.

"Nice." He nodded. "That's good. For an acceptance, even more so a full ride, your GPA must be above a 4.0."

"It's a 4.9." He answered.

Isabel made a face like she had just watched someone get punched in the face, and Levi sat back in his chair.

"Now, that's impressive. I'm guessing that places you as valedictorian for your class."

Farlan whistled. "Excuse my language, Miss Carla, but daaaaaamn!"

That made everyone laugh, and Armin was blushing, nodding.

"What did you score on your national test?" Levi asked.

"Uh, a 34."

"Almost perfect." Isabel said, reaching across the table to fist bump him. "Amazing."

"Thank you."

"Eren?" Farlan asked.

"Ah, there's nothing special about me and college yet. I don't know where I'm going, really. I was hoping I could get into Dawk U and try out of the soccer team, but…

"That's really tough." Levi finished, nodding. "That's hard to do at Smith, as well, if you don't get a scholarship."

"I know for a fact that I don't want to go to Maria." He added quickly.

"Have you done your test yet?" Isabel asked.

"Me and Mikasa take it at the end of this month."

Carla perked up. "I was supposed to put that in my calendar."

"Not only us, but everyone else in the squad too." Mikasa said to Eren.

"Really? How awesome would it be if we all got the same testing room?"

"That would be a one in a million chance," Annie said, standing up. "Miss Carla, I'm gonna go raid your chili again."

"Help yourself, hon."

The evening went on with more light hearted conversation, and when Annie and Armin announced their departure, Eren knew it was coming to a close.

"Homework." Armin said.

"Same." Annie agreed. "Still gotta pass."

Isabel smiled. "It was nice meeting you too, and good luck on your game this week."

"Thanks." Annie said. "Mikasa, I'm gonna go grab my bag from your room."

Mikasa nodded, and Eren spoke to Levi.

"Will you be at the game Friday night?"

Levi hummed. "I'm not sure. I have to work late, and afterwards I have some plans."

"Oh," Eren answered quickly, feeling a little embarrassed. "Okay. I was just asking."

"But I didn't tell Hanji that, so she's going to yell my head off when I finally do tell her. But I definitely will be attending some games this season."

Eren smiled tightly and cleared his throat. "That's cool. If you're done with your bowl, I can go ahead and wash it."

Levi picked up the empty bowl and started to hand it to Eren, then he hesitated.

Eren just stood there with his hand out, looking stupid, then Levi looked up at him.

That was a nice angle.

"I'll help."

Eren exhaled. "No, no. You're the guest."

Levi stood up anyway. "Miss Carla, if you don't mind…

Carla looked surprised, and like she wanted to object as well, but she nodded.

"That would be very kind of you." She said, looking at him with curious eyes.

Eren didn't know what that look was for, but him and Levi finished collecting everyone's bowls from the table. They moved over to the sink, and Eren placed the stopper in the drain and turned on the hot water.

"Thanks for helping me with this." Eren said. "You help me with a lot."

Levi shrugged. "I like doing dishes. It's fine. Do you have any gloves?"

Eren blinked. "Yeah, in the cabinet at my feet."

He moved over so Levi could open the drawer.

"Did you want a pair?"

"Uh, no thanks. I'm okay."

Levi closed the cabinet and and rolled up the sleeves of his cardigan.

"Hey," Eren began. "Where did you get that cardi?"

Levi looked down at himself as if he had forgotten what he was wearing. "Oh, I got it as a gift actually. Don't know where it was from."

Eren clicked his tongue. "Oh, okay. It looks good on you."

See…what he meant to say was 'it looks good.' Not 'it looks good on you.' Because that just sounds…

Flirtatious.

Levi raised an eyebrow. "Thanks." He accepted, slapping the gloves on.

Eren thought his skin looked really pale. Not pale in an unhealthy way, but a _smooth_ pale.

Much to his personal embarrassment, he noticed the build of his forearms, and they certainly were built.

So maybe this was what Mikasa was talking about. All that time ago when she said that Levi looked a little built, but Eren didn't pay attention because back then he didn't associate with Levi, nor did he really enjoy his company.

Now, things were different. Very different.

The remaining table dwellers chatted away in conversation while Levi and Eren scrubbed at the dishes.

Actually, it was more of Eren taking the clean dishes from Levi and placing them on the rack to dry.

He was fast, yet thorough. Eren watched him tilt his head and study each piece of food and grime carefully before scrubbing at it until the speck was completely gone.

"Wow," Eren said with a laugh. "I guess you really do like doing dishes."

And Levi didn't respond to that, he just kept examining each bowl and spoon, cleaning them like they were his own.

888

When the trio left, they left with full bellies and smiling faces. Levi told Eren he'd see him tomorrow, to which Eren just nodded and said 'cool.'

Carla excused herself to her bedroom to make phone calls, and Mikasa and Eren plopped on the couch.

"You know, I should be finishing my projects." Eren stated, looking up at the ceiling.

"For what class?"

"Economics _and_ English."

"Can't finish what you never started."

"Shut up."

It was silent a bit longer, and Eren quickly realized that this was the closest he and Mikasa had been in a while.

No, they weren't at each other's throats anymore, but they hadn't been communicating as much. Eren tried to act like that didn't bother him, even though it really did.

"Hey, can I ask you something?" He said, looking over at her.

"Yeah." She answered, looking back at him.

Eren studied her face. "What happened between you and Jean?"

Mikasa instantly rolled her eyes and made a move to leave the couch, but Eren placed a hand on her shoulder.

"Come on," Eren said gently. "Look, I know you kissed."

"Then why are you asking me what happened?" She asked, settling back on the couch.

"Let me ask a different question. Why did you kiss?"

Mikasa shut her eyes tight and sighed. "Annie was asking me the same thing earlier."

"And what'd you tell her?"

"I told her that I didn't know."

"Is that a lie?"

"No."

"Okay. So, what does this mean for you and Jean?"

Mikasa laughed in disbelief. "Not a damn thing."

Eren laughed. "Why the hell do you two keep tangling up with each other?"

"We're not tangled up."

Eren raised his voice. "Yes, you are! You two go back and forth all the time. You'll argue, then talk like nothing ever happened, or not talk at all. Now you're kissing. If I didn't know any better, I'd say you still…

"But you do know better." Mikasa interrupted sharply. "So don't finish that sentence."

Eren muttered to himself. "Armin said the same thing."

"What?" Mikasa asked.

Eren realized he had spoken out loud and apologized. "Nothing. I was talking to myself."

"You said Armin said the same thing. When? About me and Jean?"

"No." Eren said. "About me and…

He slapped a hand over his mouth and shut his eyes because now he was word vomiting underneath Mikasa's intimidating stare and he was about to get himself into a whole lot of hell.

"Who? Levi?"

Eren's eyes were the size of saucers, and he moved his hand away from his face and gaped.

"How do you know?"

Mikasa smirked. "It's kind of obvious."

Eren threw his hands up. "Unbelievable. Un-fucking-believable."

"It's okay." Mikasa said. "He's hot."

"It's not okay! He's my tutor, and eight years older than me."

"You'll be eighteen in March."

Eren leaned in. "Do you hear what you're saying right now?"

"What?" She asked in defense. "It's not like him being a guy changes anything either. So…

"You and Armin both…

"What was that one guy's name?" Mikasa asked. "He swam. You two messed around. He was the only guy you had ever done stuff with."

Eren bit his lip and willed himself to stay calm. "It does not matter."

"He was hot, and weird."

Eren groaned. "Screw this. I'm going to start my projects now. I mean it."

"His favorite food was something weird too."

Eren ignored her and stood up to leave. Mikasa was laughing behind him.

"Ah, come on."

"No, it's okay. I know you like Jean."

He didn't see it, but he surely felt it. Mikasa had lain a nice whack to the back of his head, and Erne swore his head started to throb.

"I'll tell mom." He whined.

"Tell her that you're crushing on the tutor? Or that you dated a guy on the swim team once?"

Eren turned around and swept a foot out underneath Mikasa's ankle. Thanks to her years of honing her reflexes, she stumbled a bit, but stayed on her feet.

"Don't." Eren said. "Don't tell mom, or anybody for that matter."

Mikasa wrapped an arm around his neck. "You know I won't."

"I know." Eren said.

Eren dropped her off at her door, which was literally two steps down from his, and he asked again.

"Do you?"

Mikasa turned around before closing her door. "Do I what?"

"Like Jean."

Eren watched her look downward, worrying her lips in hopes to find an answer.

"I will not tell him, or anybody." He reassured.

"I know that." Mikasa snapped, then she apologized. "Sorry. It's just…if I knew myself, I'd tell you."

"Okay. Let me ask something else. Did you kiss him because you were drunk?"

Mikasa looked a little aggravated, but defeated. "This means nothing."

"Of course not." Eren said with a smirk.

She sighed. "No."

Eren nodded slowly. "Ah. Alright."

Mikasa made a face and closed the door on him. Eren turned around and headed back to his room and closed his door behind him.

He reluctantly dragged out his English rubric and project paper. He had to write a paper discussing love sonnets. He had to choose one of his poems and discuss it under their theme for the first quarter.

'Does desperation in love make or break someone?'

Eren decided to do it on Petrarch. He really didn't know that was or what he was famous for, but he had asked his English teacher for someone to write on, and she suggested Petrarch. So, here he was, surfing the internet and squinting while reading poem after poem.

It was clear that this Petrarch dude wrote every single one about the same woman. The same, blond haired, clear eyed woman. It wasn't clear what had ever happened to them, but he knew for sure that they had broken up at some point, or maybe they were never together, because his poems were all so damn _sad_.

Just when Eren was starting to get into it, his phone vibrated, and he read a few more lines of poem number 61 before he picked up his phone.

It was Levi.

 **Levi – Mon. 7:47 pm**

' _Hey, just found out that I actually don't have to stay so late at work Friday. So, I'll be at the game.'_

 **Eren – Mon. 7:49 pm**

' _That's good. Hope to see you there. Hey, do you know anything about Petrarch?'_

 **Levi – Mon. 7:52 pm**

' _The heartbroken, Italian humanist?'_

 **Eren – Mon. 7:53 pm**

' _Yeah. Wait, he was a humanist?'_

 **Levi – Mon. 7:55 pm**

' _Yes. He wrote during the Renaissance times. Other than being a hopeless romantic, he was a good writer. He wrote a lot of good stories.'_

 **Eren – Mon. 7:56 pm**

' _Thanks! I have to write an English paper about his poems under the theme of 'does desperation in love make or break someone.'_

 **Levi – Mon. 8:00 pm**

'… _Wait, who is your English teacher?'_

 **Eren – Mon. 8:02 pm**

' _Miss Ral. Do you know her?'_

 **Levi – Mon. 8:05 pm**

' _Oh, yes I do. She's another good friend.'_

 **Eren – Mon. 8:07 pm**

' _That's cool! She's really nice, but she doesn't take any crap. One time, she caught me with my phone out during one of her lectures, and she took it and held it till the end of class. I couldn't even be mad at her.'_

 **Levi – Mon. 8:09 pm**

' _You were the dumb ass that was texting? She told me about that over dinner a while ago.'_

 **Eren – Mon. 8:11 pm**

' _Oh, lol! Yeah, that was me.'_

 **Levi – Mon. 8:13 pm**

' _Maria really is small. Well, I'm going to let you get to work, because I have a good feeling that project is due very soon, and since you didn't even know the basics about your topic of interest, then you're just starting.'_

 **Eren – Mon. 8:15 pm**

' _Am I that obvious?'_

 **Levi – Mon. 8:17 pm**

' _Undoubtedly. See you tomorrow. Be ready to work.'_

 **Eren – Mon. 8:19 pm**

' _See you.'_


	12. Chapter 12

Cage the Elephant was playing loudly from his bluetooth speaker as Eren sat on the toilet and Annie chopped away at Mikasa's hair.

"How short are you going to cut it?" He yelled.

"Be patient." Annie yelled back. "I know what I'm doing."

Mikasa's hair had always been long, and occasionally she'd cut it for soccer season, but not this short. Never this short.

Eren was waiting patiently for his turn. He was glad Annie volunteered to do this for them for free.

He briefly wondered if Levi would say anything about it when he came over later for their tutoring session. Then, he wondered why he even cared, and as stubborn as Eren was, he knew when to stop lying to himself. He knew why.

School that day had breezed by, thankfully. Jean and Mikasa didn't speak to each other, Connie was at school, looking bogged down as usual, and Armin decided to sit with the chess kids for lunch.

His English project was coming along nicely, he supposed. His report was half the designated word count, and he was hoping he could finish it tonight, after his session with Levi. His Government project needed to be started as well, so he could at least finish it tomorrow after soccer practice, even if he was going to be dead.

"The homecoming dance is next Friday." Annie said, just as one song was ending. Eren went ahead and turned the speaker off.

Mikasa sat still as a statue and hummed.

"Unfortunately."

Eren smirked. "Come on. Homecoming for us has always been fun."

Annie nodded. "Yeah, but whose house are we going to this time?"

"Yours." Eren and Mikasa answered simultaneously.

Annie laughed loudly. "Really now? That's cool, I guess, but everyone's gonna have to chip in for supplies."

"That can be done. Just with Jean's money we can afford four bottles of something or another." Eren explained.

"This means I need to find a dress." Mikasa said, looking as unenthusiastic as she could.

"What's the fucking theme this year?" Annie asked, carefully moving her fingers through Mikasa's dark hair.

Eren bit his lip. "Um, 'Under the Sea' or something like that. Water themed."

Annie said a dramatic 'gosh' under her breath, and Mikasa stared in the mirror.

"Are you done?"

Annie's black hair scissors gave a few more clicks here and there before she pulled away and said "Done."

She stepped back to give Mikasa some room to stand.

Eren watched her lean towards the mirror, moving her hands through her newly short locks. He was waiting to see what she would say, because the style looked nice, but this was a new level of short.

Annie was leaning against the wall, impatiently waiting for criticism.

She sighed heavily and smacked a hand on her thigh. "Fine, what is it? What did I do wrong?"

Mikasa stared at herself a little while longer with that same blank face before a small smile morphed into a large one. She turned around and grabbed Annie, hugging her.

"Ew."

"Thank you, Annie." Mikasa said quietly. "I love it, really."

Eren clapped. "It looks nice on you."

"Thanks." Mikasa said. "What do you think mom will say?"

Eren grabbed her arm and high-fived her. "She'll love it."

Mikasa decided to make Annie more uncomfortable with compliments and praise, which made Eren burst into laughter, because it wasn't often that one got to see Annie blush.

"Okay, okay, I get it. You like it, cool. Now, get out so I can do Eren."

"That sounded suggestive." Mikasa said, wiggling her eyebrows.

Annie pulled a face towel from the key rack hanging on the bathroom wall and threw it at her. Mikasa dodged and went down the hall to her room, saying that she had homework to do.

"Alright." Annie said. "Your turn."

Eren slipped onto the stool in front of the mirror, already shaking with anticipation because…well…he knew he looked fucking hot with short hair and regretted waiting this long to cut it.

Annie reached down in the small black bag she brought with her and pulled out a pair of clippers and a hair clip.

"So, you were saying you wanted it like how you always get it, except you want a slight undercut?"

"Yeah." Eren answered. "Like, at the nape. Not a total shave, like I still want a good amount of hair there, but I want it lower than the rest."

"A slight undercut."Annie confirmed, gathering a mop of Eren's hair in her hands and placing it in a clip on the top of his head. "Can do."

He felt Annie's fingers run through the hair on his neck a few times before he heard the buzz of the clippers. His stomach was doing that thing again, because he really hoped that it would look good. His usual style, with a shy undercut, was something different, but a lot of people were rocking undercuts.

Marco, Jean, Reiner (sometimes), Bert…Levi.

Eren thought Levi's undercut was amazing. Like, it was never sloppy, always fresh looking. It made his neck look slimmer, in a way. The rest of his hair was nice too. It was nice in a way that hair could be nice. It outlined his face well, stopped just short enough that it didn't cover that nice jaw line, and that his eyes weren't covered at all.

"Hey!"

"What?" Eren asked, embarrassed by his day dreaming.

"I said lean your head down." Annie said in annoyance.

"Sorry, I was somewhere else." He explained, then obeyed.

888

Carla wasn't home yet. She said something that morning about a dinner at a co-workers house. Eren should really make a better effort to remember when she says she's going out.

Mikasa was in the kitchen reheating the last bit of left over chili, and Levi was there also, probably sitting at the table and wondering why Eren was late.

Although, he supposed he knew, because Annie was leaving right as he was coming in, calling out to Mikasa that she was done with his hair. And Eren knew Levi could put two and two together, and if he saw Mikasa's hair, he'd know Eren probably cut his too.

Eren was quickly and sloppily sweeping up the hairs on the bathroom floor, trying to make haste to get to his tutoring session. He had a dopey grin on his face, and he was anticipating what Levi would say.

If he'd say anything.

When he was done, he practically ran down the hall to place the broom and dustpan back in their designated spots, and smoothed down his t-shirt, making sure he got up all the tiny hairs with a lint roller.

He stopped in the bathroom one more time, smiling at himself, then turned off the light and walked down the hall.

He heard Mikasa and Levi talking, although he couldn't make out what they were saying, and when Eren's footsteps stopped at the entrance of the kitchen, Levi turned around and looked at him.

For as long as Eren lived, he would remember Levi's face morphing from its usual expression to something that could only be described as _like_.

Eren bent his head down for a second while he stepped into the kitchen, trying to pretend like he was yawning to hide his stupid smile.

He sat down at the table in his usual spot and looked over at Levi.

Levi sat back in his chair, doing that thing where he placed one leg over the other.

"Well," he said, inclining his head. "Look at you."

Eren couldn't help it anymore. He was smiling so hard, and he knew his face had to be red. But he just couldn't care.

"Yeah, it was time to cut it."

Levi nodded, giving a very quick and barely noticeable once-over that Eren wasn't even sure the man was conscious of.

"Alright." He said. He slid the notebook and pencil that had already been set out on the table over to Eren. "Where we at this week?"

Eren opened his notebook, and was quite proud to say that his notes were actually looking like notes instead of a psychopath's hurried scrawl.

"Um, factorials."

Levi audibly groaned, making Eren laugh.

"What?" He asked. "Not a fan?"

Levi grabbed the textbook from the middle of the table and flipped through it quickly, finding the chapter Eren was speaking of.

"In all my years of schooling, and as good as I am at mathematics, I hate factorials, with a passion."

"Same." Mikasa agreed. She walked by their table with her steaming bowl in hand and announced that she was going back to her room for homework purposes.

Eren spoke. "Oh, this is the stuff with the excited numbers?"

Levi looked up from the book quickly, and his eyes widened a bit before he let out a nice, low laugh.

Eren shook his head. "Don't laugh at that. That was a terrible joke."

Which only made Levi laugh a little louder. "Ah, classic math joke. It was good."

Eren cleared his throat, trying not to be so damn pleased with himself. "Well I do remember seeing this way back in Algebra."

"Do you remember how to do it?"

Eren shook his head no.

Levi shrugged. "That's okay. A lot of people vaguely remember seeing factorials at some point in their life, but don't remember how it works. Most teachers only spend a day or two's lesson on going over it before they move onto something else. It's…not really respected by most."

"Including you?"

Levi smiled at him. "Definitely including me."

And as the time spun on, Levi took his time explaining the lesson, making sure Eren understood the basics of it before actually demonstrating how to work a problem.

Eren wasn't gonna lie, this wasn't making much sense to him. The exclamation marks had nothing to do with the numbers being excited, and he couldn't see how this would apply to his future in any way.

"Do you know when you'll be quizzing on this?" Levi asked quietly while Eren slowly worked a problem.

Eren didn't look up, so he didn't notice Levi looking at him, but he answered. "Friday."

Levi hummed, still watching him. "So, this gives us today and Thursday to get it down. You think you'll be okay?"

Eren looked up momentarily, smiling. "Yeah, it's not so bad once you get the hang of it. Plus, I have a great tutor."

Levi was getting ready to say something, but both males heard the front door open and close, and a pair of heels clicking on the floor.

Carla came around the corner, hands full of plates wrapped in aluminum foil.

"Hey, ma." Eren greeted. "How was the dinner?"

"Oh, it was good." She answered, setting the plates on the island. "There were meatballs, Eren, _meatballs_."

"Save us any?"

"No." Carla answered, smiling as sweet as she could, patting her belly. "But there was some chicken wings and pasta salad left, and I was told to take the majority of it because I had two growing teenagers at home. I also do not feel like cooking."

"Annie did a great job on your hair." She said over her shoulder while placing the plates in the fridge.

Eren huffed. "Wait until you see Mikasa."

Carla closed the refrigerator door quickly, looking apprehensive.

"What is it?"

He grinned impishly. "See for yourself."

Carla squinted her eyes, nodding her head towards Levi in saying that she was sorry for interrupting.

"Mikasa!" Carla called down the hall. "Mikasa Ackerman, I need to see you please."

Eren laughed under his breath. He knew his mom would love it, he just wanted to make it sound like it was something bad because he loved working her nerves sometimes.

Mikasa walked down the hall and turned the corner, looking highly concerned.

"Did I do something?" She asked, but nobody answered.

Eren was looking at her with a small grin, Carla was beaming, and Levi was looking at her with his eyebrows turned downward.

"Oh, honey it looks great!" Carla chimed, walking up to hug her. "Eren said you cut your hair, but his tone of voice made it sound like you had gone bald. Not that there's anything wrong with that either."

Mikasa squinted her eyes in Eren's direction, promising to get him back later.

Cara ran her fingers through Mikasa's short locks. "Even with it cut, you're still the spitting image of your mother."

Mikasa tried not to smile, and turned around, pretending to be annoyed and saying she needed to get back to work.

Carla laughed and excused herself, apologizing for holding up the tutoring session.

Eren turned back around and finished laughing. "I'm sorry, I just love messing with my mom."

When Eren didn't hear Levi say anything, he looked up from his paused math work, and saw that his face wasn't as easy going as it was earlier.

"Oh," He apologized quickly, "sorry about that. I know you've got better things to do than just sit here and wait on me. I'll get back to work."

Eren did just that, feeling the back of his neck heat up in embarrassment.

"Mikasa's last name is Ackerman?"

Eren looked up, definitely confused as to why this mattered. "Uh, yeah. That was her dad's last name."

Levi still looked troubled. "Her parents?"

Eren slowly nodded. "Died when she was 10. Bad car accident. She wasn't there. If she had been, she would have been gone too. They were close friends with my mom when she was just a worker at the day care. That's how her and I became such good friends. Me, her, and my other best friend Armin. Mikasa was sort of a shy child, so my mom suggested to her parents that she meet Armin and I, since we were the same age."

"That was when we were like, five. Her parents died in the wreck five years later, and I don't really know all the details, and I never asked, but there were apparently no other suitable family members for her to live with, and mom welcomed her in a heartbeat."

"But she still uses the name Ackerman, because, well, she doesn't need to change it. Doesn't want to. Mikasa Jaeger doesn't have a great sound to it at all."

Eren closed his mouth finally, not knowing if he disclosed too much information, or if he had been rambling, but Levi's eyes were staring at the table.

And suddenly, as if he realized he was being odd, he looked up and cleared his throat, relaxing his face.

"Sorry." He said, his voice not quite so light anymore. "Let's get back to this."

Eren desperately wanted to ask what that was about, but Levi reminded him that he only had today and Thursday to get the lesson down, so they focused on that, and Eren pretended to care.

It was 8:30 when he left, saying he would show himself out, and that he'd see him on the same time Thursday.

Eren said goodbye, and watched Levi leave the kitchen. He had still been in his work attire.

He sighed heavily, feeling muddled and anxious for information. Did he know Mikasa's parents? He wasn't that much older than Eren. Maybe he knew a distant relative or something? Somebody he thought he knew?

Whatever, he said to himself. He gathered up his supplies in frustration (because that session had been going so great and if he hadn't ruined it by making Carla call Mikasa it could have ended great too).

888

The whistle blew loudly, signaling for everyone to stop moving.

"Stop!" Hanji yelled out from the sidelines. "Jaeger, come here."

Eren was panting, but wiped his forehead with the hem of his blue tank and walked over to his coach. Jean was side-eyeing him the entire time, because he knew he was about to get in trouble.

Hanji was looking at him in the way she did when she was a little disappointed, but fully ready to give him some helpful advice. She'd have to reprimand him every time he was being a ball hog, or playing too aggressively with his opponents. Eren had to be reeled back in sometimes.

"Yes coach?" He asked, placing his hands on his hips.

Hanji stepped a bit closer to him and turned her back to the field so that no one could see her lips moving.

"What's going on with you today, Eren?" She asked. "You're not playing like you usually do."

Eren shook his head. "I'm sorry. I'm just a little…nervous, I guess."

Hanji cocked her head to the side. "For the game Friday?"

Eren agreed. "Yeah, it's just…well, can I explain something please?"

Hanji smiled. "Be my guest. Although, I think I already know what this is about."

"Wait, you know?"

Hanji placed a hand under her chin. "It's Wagner, isn't it?"

Eren hung his head and sighed. Hanji hit the nail on the head.

"I'm not trying to be mean or anything, and he seems okay of a guy, but…he's just not…he's not…"

"Connie." Hanji finished, nodding in understanding. "Thomas isn't Connie."

Eren offered a small smile to lighten the air some, but he was a little embarrassed.

Hanji inhaled and exhaled deeply. "I'm not going to lie, I'm saddened over Connie's departure as well. He earned his spot here, and I wanted him to fill it. But, he has much more pressing matters to deal with, unfortunately, and as much as he'd love to play, he can't. I tried to discuss striated payment plans, anything that could help, but he just doesn't have the time anymore."

"Thomas Wagner is good, but he's not Connie, and I know you're used to passing to Connie. Thomas doesn't know how to receive from you or Jean properly yet. But he's doing okay for a newbie. What I'm about to say is going to sound harsh, but I do not mean offense, okay?"

Eren swallowed and nodded.

"Thomas is not Connie, therefore, you cannot play with him like you played with Connie. You're going to have to learn how to adjust, as does the rest of the team. I've noticed that you really haven't been passing to him today, or paying him much attention."

"If you all want to win this season, then you're going to have to help him. His presence is going to be important, and there's enough pressure on him as is. I expect my varsity players to be mature teammates and treat him like a member, nothing less, is that understood?"

Eren felt slightly ashamed. "Yes ma'am, er, coach. Sorry. I'll do better, it's just…difficult, ya know?"

Hanji turned back around and faced the field. "I know." She smiled. "But I have faith in you that you'll learn."

Eren relaxed some, taking a deep breath and agreeing to try to do better.

He walked back on to the field, marking the person he was assigned once again, and trying to clear his head. He knew he was being unnecessarily aloof to Thomas, but the guy's reliability was questionable. After that last practice game with Olbd High, it became clear that this season wasn't going to go as smoothly as they all planned since Connie was gone.

Jean didn't seem to be in much better shape. He was doing his captain-like duties, still shouting out encouragements if someone made a mistake, but even he looked a little annoyed, worried even.

But the only way to ensure Thomas did well was to actually play with him, help him out some; Hanji was right about all of that.

Jean started, traveling down the field with minimum focus on his feet as much as his eyes were sweeping the field.

He learned how to do that a long time ago, dribble and watch. Eren was alright at it, but he had to keep looking down at his feet and then look up. Jean seemed to run like the ball wasn't even there at all.

He looked one way and kicked the ball in another; a good deceiving mechanism. The ball went in Thomas' direction, and his marker was absolutely ready to block and steal.

Eren was already in a position to run the opposite direction just in case Thomas couldn't receive, but he was surprised when Wagner stepped forward quickly and took the ball, running and pushing back down the field to their goal.

Eren smirked, and followed.

The remainder of practice was spent mostly focusing on Thomas. They switched teams up, giving everyone a chance to pass so Thomas could learn how to receive. Their first game was Friday, once again against Olbd High, and Eren was looking forward to wiping the ground with that flamy-spikey haired guy that marked him the last time.

After they were done, the field belonged to the girls again, and they began practicing. They didn't have to do anything special, because they were all in sync with one another. Eren even noticed that Mina was doing significantly better. And he wasn't totally surprised; there was no way Mikasa was going to let anyone be off on her watch.

Thomas and the other guys left practice with Hanji reminding them that they had another practice same time tomorrow, and yelled at Mylius to wear the proper cleats and not regular sneakers.

Eren laughed, and sat down on the track, stretching out his legs and taking small sips of his cucumber water Mikasa whipped up that morning.

Jean sat to his right, and Marco on his left. They were each watching the girls practice.

"They're gonna win Friday, no doubt." Jean said, eyes following a certain someone.

"What? You doubt us?" Eren asked sarcastically.

"Nah." Jean answered, smirking. "You know we'll win."

The two of them were talking, and found their conversation going back to Thomas, and after a while, Jean noticed that Marco really wasn't saying anything.

"Hey, Bodty-boy, why are you so quiet?"

Marco turned and smiled. Eren thought Marco's smiles were like wonders of the world, beautiful and refreshing.

His smile dulled some, and then he spoke. "Sorry, I just have a lot on my mind."

"Like?" Jean asked, leaning forward.

Eren sat back on his arms and let the two of them talk directly. Jean and Marco had a friendship much like Eren and Armin did. They were friends with everyone else, sure, but they were closest to each other.

"Can I ask you guys for some advice?" Marco asked, biting his lip.

"Of course." Eren said, sitting back up, because this sounded important.

Marco cleared his throat. "Well, Sunday, Mina came over."

Jean 'ooohed' because he liked the sound of where this was going. Eren just nodded and told him to continue.

"My parents weren't home. They went to a friend's house after church, and I drove back home. Mina came over, and we watched movies, ate popcorn, ya know, the usual."

"Mmhmm." Eren muttered.

"And, well, we started making out…a lot. And we left the living room and went back to my room to…get more comfortable."

"Keep going." Jean encouraged, smiling impishly.

"Details." Eren said.

Marco laughed nervously. "Well, we both got…naked. I thought we were just gonna do that thing that we had done before."

"Which is?" Eren inquired. Now he was smiling suggestively too.

Marco blushed. "69."

Eren burst into laughter and high fived Jean.

"Well well well." Jean began. "I didn't know you two had gone that far already."

"But you said you 'thought,' so that didn't happen?" Eren asked.

"No." Marco answered, clearing this throat. "She wanted to…you know, do it."

"Ohh," Jean said, lifting his chin. "She wanted to have sex. Okay."

Marco blushed again, as if the mere word just rubbed him the wrong way.

"Don't just say it out loud like that!"

Eren laughed slightly. "And you didn't?"

Marco looked embarrassed. "Look, I know you guys are probably going to make fun of me for not going with it, but I just can't. It seems too soon, and I don't want to take things too fast. Plus, well, I kind of made that pledge a few years ago."

"To remain abstinent." Eren clarified.

"Yeah." Marco answered quietly. "I know it seems silly, but-

"I'm gonna stop you right there on the grounds that you cannot be serious." Jean interrupted. "For one, just because both Eren and I have had sex and sexual partners, that does not mean we make fun of anyone who doesn't. If it's not something you're ready to do, don't do it. Plain and simple."

Eren nodded. "What he said. Your pledge isn't silly. That was a vow you made, and if you want to stick to it, then stick to it. Have you told Mina this?"

"That's why I have to finish the story. She was on me, saying to wanted to go all the way, but once I told her I really didn't want to, she looked disappointed and put on her clothes. I put mines on too, and she sat on the bed and I asked her if she wanted to go back up front and watch a movie or something, and she said no, that things were kind of awkward and that she was just gonna go home. So yeah. I mean, we're fine now, but we haven't talked about it."

Eren and Jean looked at each other skeptically.

"Why would she be mad?" Marco asked.

"Several reasons." Jean started. "She could think that you don't want her, and that would hurt anybody's feelings. She could think that you're not comfortable enough around her. She could think that sex would bring you two even closer, which isn't necessarily true."

Eren sighed. "That's for damn sure."

"Worst case scenario specific to you is that she could think you don't want to have sex with her because Eren already did."

Eren snapped. "Ah, man, Jean, come on, seriously!"

"What!?" He responded, raising his hands. "It's definitely a possibility."

"Eren, it's alright. I understand." Marco consoled.

Eren's voice shook. "Wha-whatever the case is, you should explain to her why you don't want to have sex. Abstinence isn't something a lot of people practice or believe in, and whatever your reasons, she has to understand that."

Jean seconded that. "Make sure she knows your reasons, that's all I can tell you. But you're not wrong for staying true to yourself. What about the other stuff? Were you comfortable with that?"

"Oh yes." Marco answered with a little too much enthusiasm. "The other stuff is great. I've never really done anything with anyone else before, so it's all new to me."

Eren smiled. "Look at our little Marco, growing up."

Jean mock sniffled. "It was just yesterday that we were saying girls had cooties, and now, we're touching body parts to other body parts."

The trio burst into laughter, and continued trying to find other words or phrases to substitute for the word 'sex,' so Marco wouldn't be embarrassed. He was blushing still.

When practice was over, it was six oclock, and everyone was beyond ready to get home and get in their showers. Hanji was one of the first to leave, since she did have college work to do as well, and everyone told her good night and they would see her tomorrow.

The ride home with Jean and Mikasa was the usual. The two up front weren't talking, and this time, The Shins were playing.

When they got home, Eren let Mikasa shower first, and he stripped and put on his robe to wait in his room in the meantime, continuing on with his Government project.

The layers of Government. That's what he was supposed to be writing on. The layers of government and the differences between them. It was an easy topic really, and he took great notes, so he could just write from those and be done but instead of being even mildly productive he couldn't stop thinking about Levi.

Yesterday was so confusing, and the more he thought about it, the more addled he became.

He came to the conclusion that Levi might have known an Ackerman somewhere or something. He needed some kind of explanation as to why he had started acting so strangely.

By the time Mikasa was out of the shower, Eren had only typed one hundred words, and none of them seemed to be flowing properly.

888

The clock on the wall ticked to the timing of their kisses.

This had been going on for a few minutes, and neither one of them was planning to stop.

Reiner was on his back with Bertholdt on top of him. They were on Reiner's bed, clothes on, papers and pencils strewn across as well, although those were getting crumpled and knocked off the bed as the two moved against each other.

It's not like they had anything strictly routine, but certain things were easier to do, and letting Reiner take control of things was one of those things.

They'd always start doing something because Reiner initiated it. Whether it was holding hands, kissing, or anything beyond that. One time, Reiner had brought it up to Bert, saying that he always felt like he was pushing him to do stuff. They had been on the back porch that time, and Bertholdt went red in the face and then leaned in to kiss him.

They hooked up right there on the deck.

They didn't have a set standard as to who bottomed or topped. It didn't matter. Whoever wanted to bottom usually stated so before things went too far. And if neither wanted to have sex, they'd take it down a notch, while still giving themselves to each other in the best ways they knew how.

That being said, it wasn't often that Bertholdt took charge of things. He'd kiss and touch, and Reiner could affirm that whenever Bert topped, he left him a shaking mess. But it had to be because Reiner asked. He never did things like that on his own.

But tonight was different, he supposed. What had been a regular homework and study session on his bed had turned into a rhythmic make out session. Bertholdt had been the one to put a hand on his shoulder and push him down gently. He was the one that would barely let him up for air as he kissed him. He was the one that had started moving his hips against Reiner's front.

And although he was surprised, Reiner couldn't say he minded any of it.

He moaned, because the friction going on between them was making him hot and hard and he needed some relief. Bertholdt finally let his lips go, sitting up to take off his black tshirt.

Reiner watched him do it. He loved looking at him with his clothes off. He actually loved looking at him all the time, but this was a different kind of sight. Bertholdt may be shy, but his body sure as fuck wasn't.

He moved off the bed to pull off his pants. Just the sound of Bert's belt buckle clinking made anticipation build up nicely in Reiner's stomach, and soon he followed suit.

When they were back on the bed, they were in the same position as before, except this time they had pushed all papers and writing utensils off the bed. Bertholdt had a slow, hard cadence in action, and it was making Reiner make some kind of soft noise every time he pulled away and waited a few seconds before he ground himself on him again.

They were both panting, their kisses getting more urgent, no longer in sync with the clock, and Bertholdt moved down his boyfriend's jaw, rubbing his lips against it before meeting his neck and licking it.

Reiner groaned and closed his eyes, letting Bert shift his leg in between his for him to move against while he focused on his neck.

During sex, or any sexual act, Reiner was the loud one. Or the louder one, he should say. Bertholdt was quiet in bed like he was on the daily, conveying his feelings through touches and kisses and eye contact. It was mainly soft sighs and panting, breaths being sucked in through mildly shaking teeth, and deep groans when the end came.

But tonight, it was different. Because not only was Bertholdt taking control, he was whispering teasing, enticing words in Reiner's ear. And Reiner had unconsciously began rutting his front against Bertholdt's muscular thigh even faster.

Reiner didn't know what had gotten into his boyfriend, and quite frankly he didn't give damn, just as long as he didn't _stop_.

Bertholdt pulled away, sitting up to place his hands gently on Reiner's hips, pulling down his grey boxer briefs with care as if he was opening a present and wanted to save the wrapping paper.

Reiner bit his lip and let him take his time, he wasn't going to rush this, no matter how badly he wanted to.

Bertholdt kept his boxers on, leaning back over and placing his front on Reiner's once again. The sensation made Reiner hiss, and Bertholdt smiled lightly.

"What are…what are we doing?" Reiner asked.

Bertholdt never stopped moving his hips. "This."

He sat back and pulled down his boxers finally, leaning back over Reiner so he could shimmy them down his long legs. That skin on skin contact made them both moan and curse. Reiner spread his legs some, giving the other adequate room to move.

The room was silent, save for the small noises coming from them, their kisses, and the slick sounds of them moving against each other.

This was good, Reiner thought. This was exactly what he needed, he didn't need to go farther than this.

He looked up into those green eyes that he loved, and he groaned. If he stared to long into them, he was going to finish faster than he wanted. It was something about them that warmed his heart and turned him on at the same time.

Bertholdt whispered. "You like that?"

Reiner groaned again. "Yeah, babe, I think I'm close."

He moved faster, and oh, Reiner wasn't holding back now. He let his noises out, his hands ran down Bertholdt's back, occasionally grabbing his butt and pushing him further.

They were going to finish at the same time, he could tell. Bertholdt's movements were beginning to falter, not having as much preciseness as they did earlier. He was kissing him, moaning, looking into his eyes. Reiner was about to done for.

Reiner grabbed at Bert's back while Bert grabbed at the bed. Reiner came first, a long groan of pleasure spilling from his lips. Bertholdt went right back to kissing him, and soon, he was finishing too, his sounds muffled by Reiner's lips, but Reiner could still hear the tremble in his voice.

They were both shuddering, still languidly moving on each other. They were covered in sweat and other things, but they smiled at each other, kissing until they knew they needed to clean themselves.

It was a quick shower they shared, enough to get the smell of sex and everything off. Reiner let Bert finish up while he got out, threw a towel around his hips, and headed over to take the cover off the bed.

He ran it to the washer machine, setting it for a short amount of time with hot water. When he came back, Bertholdt was walking out of the bathroom, body wet and towel around his waist as well.

Reiner smirked. "Round two?"

Bertholdt knew he was joking. "Maybe I'd say yes, but we have homework."

Reiner made an annoyed sound. "Ugh, how am I supposed to think about homework after that?"

He plopped down on the foot of the bed, not caring if the towel made the sheets a little damp; it was just water after all.

He sat there and watched Bert dry off and pull his clothes back on. It was a turn on to watch, but he'd rather just enjoy the sight instead of initiate anything else.

"Hey." He said, getting the other's attention.

Bert finished pulling down his shirt before he turned back around. "Yeah?"

"What was that all about?" Reiner asked, wiggling his eyebrows in that way he knew made Bertholdt laugh. "You don't normally call the shots."

Except Bert didn't laugh, nor did he look amused in the slightest, which made Reiner drop his smile and purse his lips.

"What's wrong?"

Bertholdt stood there for a moment, absentmindedly rubbing his hands together before he moved to pick up the stray papers off the carpet.

"Please, don't ignore me." Reiner said, still facing forward.

"I'm not." Bert answered, walking over to the corner where he threw his bookbag when he came in.

Reiner stood up. "Are you fixing to leave?"

Bertholdt shoved his papers in his bag haphazardly, which was uncharacteristic for him, since he liked everything to be in its place.

Reiner made sure his towel was tied tight around his waist before he walked closer to his frazzled boyfriend.

"Did I do something?" He asked, raising his hands. "Did I say something? What the hell is your problem?"

Bertholdt turned back around, an angry look on his face, and slung his bag across his back.

"It's the same thing, Reiner. The same problem we've had since the beginning of the school year."

Reiner sighed in exasperation. "Bert, we talked about this!"

"No." Bertholdt argued. "You talked about _you_. You talked about how you were going to sign, and you said that we were going to make it work. But how, Reiner? How are we going to make it work?"

Reiner shook his head. "I told you we'd figure it out! We can do long distance. I'm definitely willing to try. I don't want anyone else, and even if we're miles apart, we can keep our relationship strong."

Bertholdt shook his head 'no' once, and moved past Reiner to grab his phone off the bedside table.

Reiner let him move, just as he let him fling his door open, but he followed right behind him.

"Are you seriously just about to-

Bertholdt whirled around and snapped. "This isn't going to work!"

Reiner stood in the hallway, stunned silent. Bertholdt really looked distressed, almost like he wanted to cry.

"Ask me what I found out yesterday." He said in a whisper. "Ask me."

Reiner looked incredulous yet defeated. "What did you find out yesterday?"

Bertholdt turned his head to the side and stared at the wall. "I got a scholarship…to Ehrmich University."

Reiner looked confused. "O-okayy…congratulations. But what does that have to do with-

"It's in Northampton, England."

 _Oh._

Reiner's mouth was open in shock, and before he could speak again, Bertholdt stopped him.

"It's my dream school. You know I want to be a physician's assistant, and it has an excellent program, great student success, and it's where I'm from, after all."

Reiner sounded weak. "I know you said you wanted to go back, I didn't know you meant this."

Bertholdt looked down and stared at the floor. "I applied this past spring, and I really wasn't expecting to get accepted. But they sent me the letter yesterday, my parents are very excited, and I am too."

He certainly didn't sound excited. He sounded like he didn't want to be telling Reiner this, and Reiner didn't want to hear this either.

"I don't…Bert, I…"

"I don't want to talk about this right now." Bertholdt said, shaking his head. "I know I called you out earlier for avoiding the subject, but I can't stand here and look you in the eyes and talk about this. Not right now."

Reiner stepped forward and grabbed Bertholdt by the shoulders, tilting his head up to make up for that small height difference between them.

"I'm happy for you, babe. Really, I am, I swear. But…that's an entirely different country."

Bertholdt stepped back, and that was a slap in the face for Reiner.

"I know. That's why I'm saying this won't work."

Reiner stepped back as well, and Bertholdt turned around, continuing down the hallway.

Reiner stood where he was until he heard the front door open and close, then he balled up his fist and covered his mouth.

This couldn't be happening. This really couldn't be happening. Did they just break up? Were they going to break up? Did Bertholdt hate him now?

He ran his fingers through his hair angrily and was well aware of how fast his heart was pounding.

This couldn't be happening, not again. He was getting left once more, left by someone he cared about, and he would probably never see them again. Bertholdt was going away, to England, to his dream place. And his dream place had nothing involving Reiner. He was going to be happy somewhere else, with someone else; without him.

Just like his father.

He felt it before he realized what he was doing. His right fist was surging with pain, and blood started beading and spilling from his knuckles. He pulled back and grabbed at his hand, cursing himself for even doing it.

The walls in his house were plain. No décor to accentuate the stark whiteness of them. So that hole he just made would be incredibly noticeable if anyone decided to visit.

He made a mental note to stop by a hardware store and buy stuff to fix that, but he couldn't think of much else. He didn't even feel like standing anymore.

Reiner backed up against the wall he just punched, and slid down it slowly until he was sitting. His hands were still shaking, and his knuckles were still bleeding, but he didn't want to get up to fix it. He let the pain continue, because he felt like it was only right.

He exhaled a shaky breath, and hot tears welled up in his eyes. He shut them tight to keep them from falling, but continued to take in and let out trembling breaths while his hand bled.


	13. Chapter 13

When Levi came over Thursday for the scheduled tutoring session, it was exactly how Eren imagined it would be. He was quiet, quieter than usual. Not really up for making jokes, bent on making sure Eren didn't bomb his quiz for factorials the next day.

Carla and Mikasa were in the living room, assembling bits and pieces of arts and crafts for the kids at the daycare. Mikasa was passing all sorts of glitter glue and foam décor to Carla, looking at everything with squinted eyes.

"I just don't understand." Mikasa said. "All this stuff is just gonna make a mess."

Carla was sitting on her knees, placing everything in ziplock bags according to color, size, and content. She looked up and smiled.

"It's all for the kids. Have you thought about what I asked you?"

Mikasa sighed. "Yes, I told the others too."

"Working with kids isn't so bad. It's a great test of your patience, though, I think you could do it. Maybe not Annie."

Mikasa laughed. "Probably not Annie. I mean, I don't know."

Carla looked up again. "I could work it in with your school schedule and soccer. Although, you might have to work weekends."

Mikasa was silent, letting Carla continue sorting.

"You know," she began, "we haven't had a girls day. Or a family day. You and Eren are always so busy."

Mikasa brought her knees up to her chin and hooked her arms around them. "Well, we'll set something up soon."

Carla kept talking. "Your national test is coming up. Have you been studying?"

Mikasa shrugged. "Kind of. Not really a way to study."

It was quiet for a while longer, the muffled sounds of conversation from the kitchen flowing through the quiet house in the afternoon.

"Hey," Mikasa called.

"Hmm?" Carla responded, mouth closed around a marker.

"Do you...can I ask you something?"

Carla looked up again, and slowly pulled the marker out of her mouth. "Of course, sweetie. What is it?"

Mikasa moved on all fours to crawl next to Carla. Carla made space for her, sitting with her legs criss-crossed. Mikasa sat the same way, making sure to look her in the eyes.

"What happened with you and Grisha?"

Carla made a face, like she was confused how this topic even came up. But she quickly fixed, letting it settle back to its normal soft expression.

"What do you want to know?"

Mikasa shook her head. "Everything. When did you two officially divorce? Why? Why does he barely come around?"

"What did he say?" She asked accusingly.

Mikasa licked her lips. "When we went out to eat a few weeks ago, and you know, Eren didn't want to go. Well, we just went for soups and salads, and we were talking. He's seeing someone else."

She paused to see if Carla would say anything, and when she didn't, Mikasa continued.

"Some assistant of his at the psychiatric hospital. He told me her name but I didn't bother to remember. And, it's just like, I don't know. I've always had this notion that you two would end up back together someday. Because neither one of you told us that you got a divorce. You told us that you separated."

Carla sighed and closed her eyes. "We didn't think that…

"We?" Mikasa interrupted, "or you?"

Carla paused. "We. This is a long story. You sure you want to hear it right now?"

Mikasa nodded.

Carla cleared her throat and sat up straight. She looked up, like she always did when she was thinking, and began.

"I got pregnant with Eren before Grisha and I got married. It was…a long time ago, both of us were young, still old fashioned, I suppose. We eloped, moved into a small, crap apartment on the outside of Maria, and lived our lives. He started attending Smith University, struggling to make the long commutes from our place to the school. I started working at a beauty salon, sweeping up hair and passing out drinks. It was simple, and nice."

She smiled nostalgically, and sadly. Mikasa could tell she was really thinking back on those days.

Carla shook her head, and stared off into the distance. "I swore; I was so in love with him. I think I was. I mean, when I really think about it, I don't know. Grisha was the only man I've ever fallen for, and I assume I was in love because…well, married people are supposed to be."

"Eren was born, and while I promise that boy was the greatest thing that ever happened to me, I don't think Grisha thought the same. He loved him, no doubt, but children…a family isn't what people want sometimes. He's always been a man of conviction, studying so hard and jumping from internship to internship. It's like his youth and vibrancy was leaving him as the months went by."

Carla exhaled and closed her eyes. "And that's not the type of person I fell in love with. I fell for a man who was intimate, and innovative. And he turned into a workaholic, leaving me with Eren all the time. So, of course I started assuming that he maybe was seeing other women. College girls with knowledge and degrees."

She started to sound bitter at the last line, and quickly cleared her throat.

"I just," she continued shaking her head, "I told him that we could either fix it, or I'd take Eren and leave him. And…

She stopped, and Mikasa looked down to notice her hands clenched tightly in her lap, her toes wiggling, as if she was trying to shake out the frustration of discussing this topic whatsoever.

"It's like he didn't even argue me on it, Mikasa." She said, looking straight at her. "He didn't even try. That was all the answer I needed."

Carla shook her head one more time before she smiled again, straightening her posture and resuming her light hearted tone. "Eren was four. I was working both at the salon and at the day care then, and I moved here." She gestured to her home around her. "It wasn't too bad. This neighborhood really has been on the come up since then. The city council fixed up people's houses, no charge. Something along the lines of a 'beautification project.'"

"Grisha and I officially divorced that same year, and I never begged him once nor asked him to come around. Eren had a strong personality at that age and made up his own mind about not wanting to see his father. And I didn't argue."

"Then I met Armin and his grandfather, and you and your parents through the daycare, and, well, the rest…you know the rest."

Mikasa nodded slowly, averting her eyes to the floor to absorb everything and think.

Grisha had only been around a handful of times since Carla adopted her. Dropping in for a random, unannounced visit seemed to be his thing, and every time, Carla looked tense, Eren was mad, and as for herself, well, she wasn't sure how to feel.

Grisha was Eren's father, and Carla's ex husband. He failed his duties as a husband and parent, so that was between said parties. This was always the extent to what she knew about the man, and that wasn't enough information for her. It confused her, how whenever he did drop by, that he was so kind to her. She wasn't his daughter.

"Now, why?" Carla asked, bringing a hand to rest on Mikasa's shoulder. Mikasa kept her gaze on the ground, but spoke.

"Why would he want to establish any kind of relationship with me? He's not my father."

Carla pursed her lips. "I wonder the same thing sometimes. Although I always figured it was because you are as much a part of our small family as me or Eren, and maybe getting to you might influence Eren to loosen his stubbornness some. I think anyone with two eyes could see that the two of you look to each other for approval."

That made her smirk, just a little. "I think Eren's upset with me for going to dinner with Grisha."

Carla sighed, running her fingers gently through Mikasa's newly short hair. "Eren…is a special case."

That made both women laugh, killing some of the silence in the house.

Carla dropped her hand back to her lap. "I've always given Eren the option of forming a relationship with his father. I've never believed that was a parent's call to make, unless there were some serious concerns with the other parent's lifestyle or behavior that might pose a problem to the child. And Eren always chose to stay away."

Carla paused. "He's like me, in that way. Quick to like people, and just as quick to leave. I don't know if that's impulsiveness or what. Either way, don't think badly of him because of that. He's never had a relationship with Grisha and he doesn't want to, or so he says. Maybe he feels like you spending time with him is some sort of treason. And if that's the case, he's going to have to get over himself."

Mikasa smiled, feeling some of that dead weight on her brain lift.

Ever since school started, and ever since Grisha started coming around again, their relationship was bipolar. They still talked, still laughed, just like always, but sometimes, just sometimes, Eren acted like he was unsure how to act around her, like he wasn't quite to comfortable about being close.

She hadn't crept into his room at night, and he hadn't asked her why she hadn't.

Carla went back to assembling supplies, and Mikasa helped, absentmindedly. She couldn't shake her comment about Eren's impulsiveness.

Eren was a bit of a wild thing, going with the flow and always dreaming big. Always wanting to leave Maria, and take his soccer ball with him. One moment he was talking about his love for his friends and family and how he upset that they'd have to separate, and the next, he was smiling wide and talking about leaving Maria, and getting on with his life.

That had always confused her, and maybe Carla was right. The woman knew her own son, of course, but Eren's behavior wasn't as cut and dry as everyone made it seem. Yeah, he was hot-headed, a bit aggressive, and a burst of energy occasionally. But there were reasons why Eren Jaeger was more than what people saw at the surface, despite their simplistic views of him, he was _complicated_.

Mikasa shook her head, she was going to get a headache. She over-analyzed people and situations sometimes, but that was a comforting mechanism for her. Eren always told her that she looked too deeply into things, and that she needed to relax sometimes. But understanding _was_ relaxing to her.

Their relationship would get more complicated, she supposed, if she continued communicating with Grisha. Eren would be the same with her as he was with Armin. Not particularly mad at them as he was mad at the situation, but taking it out on them anyway. It was just how he operated.

"You think he hates me?" Mikasa asked jokingly.

Carla laughed out sharply. "Ha! The only thing that boy hates is oatmeal and the _entire_ Sina High soccer team. Anyway, are you ready for homecoming? You are going to look absolutely _perfect_ in your dress."

888

The hallways to Trost high were decorated in so much green Eren wanted to squint. Not only was the football team absolutely dominating their season, the soccer season started that night, plus tomorrow night was the homecoming dance, and the school spirit was encouraging.

And Eren was thankful for that, because this week had not gone as he intended in the fucking slightest.

First, it started with his classes. Yes, he got all of his projects done. No, they were not done well, because procrastination ensured that. That meant that his grades that should be high, were not.

Second, Levi, which Eren wanted to rule out as absolutely stupid because there was no reason for him to be concerned about the older man and why he was acting weird because they weren't friends or anything other than acquaintances.

But he just had so many questions. Everything between the two of them had been on the rise up until he told his short story about Mikasa. After that, his behavior was less than cheerful. Not that it was really ever cheerful to begin with, but at least beforehand he could smirk and make conversation about something else other than Statistics.

Third, his entire group of friends. And where to begin with that, he didn't know. Jean and Mikasa were going through their motions still, both awkward around one another after making out at Reiner's party, Connie was going through the motions of playing a figure for his siblings as his mother's illness continued, he and Armin still had their _thing_ going on, Marco and Mina were awkward around one another, and Reiner and Bert…

Probably broke up.

Eren didn't know any details other than what Annie told them at lunch that afternoon. Which was more or less her just saying 'Bertholdt and Reiner got into an argument and now he won't text Reiner back.'

Reiner was not at lunch, and neither was Bertholdt.

The eleven of them, not including Mina, had always had their individual issues, but it seemed that everything now was projecting itself on everyone else, creating a rift in their relationship as a unit.

Fourth, because stopping at three is bad luck. National testing. Eren, for lack of a better way to describe his procrastination in this sense, did not fucking study. It was two weeks away from that day, and he had not studied. He hadn't looked at any helpful study packets, practice questions, nor had he asked anybody for help.

He honestly forgot about it, because two months ago, it was two months away, and three weeks ago, it was three weeks away, and now it was about to be in his damn face and he had absolutely nothing together.

It was stressing him out. His grades were not up to par, and no college wants a delinquent, bomb ass athlete or not. His dreams of even being looked at by Dock University were dimming, and Smith wouldn't want to look at him either. He knew, Levi _reminded_ him.

As far as his father went, he chose not to even let that represent an issue. Because it wasn't. He took his stance on the man a long time ago, and he was not changing his mind.

All of that being said, he wished these things weren't pressing on his mind in his seventh period Statistics class, hours before their first soccer game of the season against Olbd High, with Jean chatting away in his ear about something involving an equestrian league that he was interested in.

"But like, if I wore those riding pants, the color would contrast with Rednal's chestnut color."

Jean was showing him a picture of his assortment of riding pants on his phone.

"You literally have every fucking shade of tan. And tan is supposed to be one shade." Eren stated, making Jean roll his eyes.

"You just wouldn't understand. But which color would go best with Rednal's color?"

Rednal, a chestnut Friesian horse, was Jean's one and only. He only loved Rednal, he would never marry a woman, or even a man, because he had Rednal. Rednal was love and life.

Eren shook his head, because this seemed like the type of question he should be asking someone who could differentiate between the first shade of tan and the thirteenth.

"Eh, the fourth pair, I guess."

Jean brought his phone close to his face and squinted. He looked skeptical, and if he said 'no, that won't do' then Eren was going to politely ask him to take his rich people problems somewhere else.

But instead, he nodded. "Fourth or fifth pair. Either one of those will work. Thanks, Eren. You actually can be useful."

Eren snorted, and brought his eyes back to his worksheet. They had already taken their quiz over the excited numbers, which he think he did pretty damn well on, courtesy of Levi, and now they were working on a worksheet that was supposed to preface next week's lesson. Except neither he nor Jean had done any of it.

Correction, Jean wrote his name.

"Are we doing this or what?" Eren asked, gesturing lazily to the worksheet.

"Nah." Jean answered, still on his phone. "Don't feel like it."

"We're gonna be dead one day," Eren began, sitting up in his chair, reaching in his pocket for his phone, "and our bodies won't even be at our own funerals because we're still not gonna feel like it."

Jean shrugged. "At least we can die with some consistency."

Eren laughed, and his smile immediately faded when he saw a familiar name on his screen.

It took him five tries to unlock his phone because he kept drawing the pattern wrong in a rush, but when he finally got it open, his stomach did that thing.

 **Levi – Fri. 2:42 pm**

' _Hey, I'm not going to be able to make the game tonight after all, sorry. My boss hates me to an extent. Anyway, good luck tonight.'_

Eren's heart lifted and sank at the same time, if that was possible. It wasn't. But that's what it felt like.

 **Jaegerbomb – Fri. 2:53 pm**

' _Thank you, and I understand. I'll kill it tonight! Btw I think I did well on my Stats quiz.'_

 **Levi – Fri. 2:54 pm**

' _I hope so. I can only pretend to be interested in excited numbers for so long.'_

That made Eren laugh out loud, which made Jean look at him from the corner of his eyes, raising on eyebrow.

"Who are you texting?"

Eren ignored him, and replied.

 **Jaegerbomb – Fri. 2:55 pm**

' _I could tell. Well, thanks again.'_

 **Levi – Fri. 2:56 pm**

' _No problem. I'll see you Tuesday. Text me if you find out your grade sooner.'_

 **Jaegerbomb – Fri. 2:56 pm**

' _Will do.'_

By the end of it, beaming wasn't even the word to describe Eren's stupid expression, and Jean spoke again.

"Who the hell are you texting?"

Eren slipped his phone in his pocket and began to pack up his belongings, because the bell was going to ring in a few and he wanted to get to the field house as quickly as possible and avoid the typical Friday hallway traffic.

Jean followed suit, still expecting an answer.

"Just my tutor."

"That Levi guy, right? The one Hanji invited to our practice game?"

"Yeah." Eren answered. That's all he said, and he was quite surprised and relieved when Jean didn't ask any more than that.

When the bell rang, the two of them practically bolted out of the classroom to dodge the brunt of the Friday hallway bullshit and swarms of freshman, because damn there were a lot of them clogging up the corridors.

Eren felt better. When he stepped outside, making his way by the parking lot to the field, he took a deep breath and exhaled. It was beautiful outside, soccer season was here, and it may not be exactly what he wanted it to be, with Connie being gone, but he was ready to dominate.

Marco was a few feet behind them, calling out for them to slow down, which they did. The girls would be out in no time, also making their way out to the field. They had to play first that night anyway.

"Hey, you guys!"

That was Thomas, Eren knew. He could recognize that voice anywhere.

The trio slowed down to let Thomas catch up.

"I'm a little nervous about tonight." He admitted, rubbing the back of his neck.

"Don't be." Jean reassured, smiling. "We won before, we'll win again."

88

"Go Annie!"

Eren was shouting at the top of his lungs, and he needed to bring it down. He didn't want to yell all his energy away before he even got to play.

Trost and Olbd High girls soccer teams were tied, and time was quickly running out. Coach Hanji didn't looked panicked, more so concerned. The rest couldn't be spoken for in the same manner though, as the entire boys team on both sides were screaming.

Eren didn't understand. To clarify, he could see what was going wrong on the field, but he didn't understand why.

Ymir had let two goals be scored by the other team, and those were kicks that she could have stopped.

Mina was only about as good as her natural talent would allow her to be.

Annie was doing poorly, which didn't make any sense whatsoever. She looked unfocused and lost.

Sasha was doing the best she could, as always, but the loss of synchronization with Annie was limiting her abilities as well.

And Mikasa, who was probably the only reason they were tied and not just straight losing, was holding the field on her own.

"What is _wrong_ with them?" Marco asked no one in particular.

Jean's eyes were squinted, arms crossed over his chest. He didn't respond, but he looked like he was trying to find the answer himself.

The bleachers were filled and loud, everyone from both schools doing all the cheering they could muster.

There was one minute and thirty seconds left.

"Will they go into overtime?" Thomas asked, still looking nervous.

"If someone doesn't score." Jean responded.

"They're the starting players for christ's sake!"Marco added. "If they can't score…

The next ten minutes were grueling. Eren had transitioned from a standing and squatting position at least five times, Coach Hanji was now yelling directions out to the girls, Jean's hands were locked behind his head, Marco looked like he wanted to cry, Thomas looked lost (no surprise), and Mylius and Kuklo were whispering in each other's ears as always.

Then it happened.

Annie caught, swinging her leg underneath her opponent to the girl thought she was going to trip her. That alone was enough for Annie to steal and head the ball in their respective goal.

The crowd was screaming, and Eren was pretty damn sure he could hear his mom in the masses too.

Sasha caught on quickly, darting ahead with quick speed and catching when Annie passed to her.

The Olbd high goalie took her stance. She was about as tall and wide as Ymir, but with blond hair.

Sasha had one of three options. Back to Annie for a score, pass to Mina for a fake so she can pass to Annie, or just pass to Mikasa.

"To Mika!" Jean yelled. His distress ridden all throughout his voice.

There was just four minutes left now, and of course Sasha would pick the most logical option and pass to Mikasa…

Except she didn't.

She passed to Mina, who for the better part of the game, could say she was just running back and forth.

Even Marco looked surprised, not in doubt, but certainly surprised.

Eren looked over at Coach Hanji, expecting to see a scowl on her face, but was floored when he saw her grinning madly as she always does when there is a counterattack in the works.

"Oh." Eren breathed out. Now he got it.

Mina powered forward, completely looking like she was going to take the shot. She planted, swung her leg back, and the ball went…backwards.

She had brought her leg back and forward, in front of the ball, sending in the direction in which it came, to a fully awaiting Mikasa behind her.

Mikasa gave one hard kick and planted it in the goal.

Trost – 9, Olbd – 6

With three minutes left, it was up to the defense to hold it down. The girls went back and forth, and everyone on Olbd's side was hoping for a breakthrough, while everyone on Trost's side was hoping for a strong wall.

Time narrowed down to a minute, and one of Olbd's players broke through and headed towards Ymir.

"Come on, Ymir!" Eren yelled. She had to stop this _here_.

The opponent breezed through defense, which was two junior girls that Eren had no clue existed, and Ymir planted her feet.

It was so loud Eren could not hear himself think. All he could do was shout Ymir's name over and over.

The girl kicked, and it was a strong one, just like the kinds Ymir had been missing all night, and time seemed to slow down for the one second it took for the ball to fly to the goal, towards the upper right, and for half a second, Eren thought that it was in.

Until Ymir jumped up and caught it mid-air.

She landed on her left shoulder, but the ball was tucked carefully between her chest and arms, and when the referee blew the whistle, the point taker rang the alarm, and 9 to 6 was the final score.

888

It was going on 9 o'clock by the time the boys game ended. It was a solid win, with the boys final score being 9-3, in Trost's favor.

They were all on the field, jumping up and down and screaming because holy shit they both one their opening games and it was a great way to start the season.

The girls ran to the field as well, Mikasa hugged Eren first, Sasha congratulated Thomas for staying in the game. Ymir smothered Jean, which Eren didn't think Jean really minded.

Carla and Mr. and Mrs. Bodt came out to the field as well, hugging their posters with their child's name underneath their arms. Carla had two. A white one with Mikasa's name on in and a green one for Eren.

"Amazing you two." Carla said, hugging them both at the same time. "I'm so proud, as always."

Eren gripped her back, despite his terrible sweatiness. It felt good to have his mother tell him she was proud. Not that he didn't know, despite all this faults, but he was glad he could really make her happy with him.

"Thanks ma." He said softly in her ear.

Carla went around and hugged the rest of the team, and soon Coach Hanji came out, shaking hands and congratulating them.

"It may have been a shaky start," she began, silencing those who were on the field, "but it was still a win. I'm satisfied tonight."

Jean high fived Hanji, and started hugging Eren again, and Eren was so high on life right then he swore nothing could bring him down. All the issues he was mulling over in class that day were nonexistent as he cheered with his team. Life felt good.

It all came crashing back down to earth when Eren found out why the girls were so distracted during their game.

Eren was in the backseat, not really in the mood to drive as he was tired, and Mikasa was in the passenger. Carla had asked what had been going on with the girls today that they were having such a rough start.

Mikasa sighed and said "Well, I suppose I should tell you. You both need to know."

Eren was messing around on his phone, and flung in on the backseat after that sentence. He sat forward and placed his hands around the headrest of Mikasa's seat.

"What's wrong?" He asked, because he knew that tone of voice. Carla looked equally concerned.

"Before the game," she started, looking out her window, "Connie called Sasha."

"No." Carla whined. "What happened?"

"Miss Springer's condition has gotten worse, and the doctors have her diagnosis. She has multiple myeloma. I-I don't know the details but, I know it's a rare form of cancer. Connie said she's lost so much weight already, and the doctors are already discussing what kind of chemotherapy treatment she should receive."

Carla sighed, saying something under her breath. Eren couldn't talk.

"Sasha started crying in the locker room, after she got off the phone of course. She's so upset that this is happening to him, to Miss Rosie, to the twins. And this all happened like a few minutes before we headed out to the field."

Carla shook her head. "Miss Rosie is still young. She should be able to do chemotherapy, something to combat the illness."

Mikasa shrugged. "I don't know."

Eren blurted out. "I need to call Connie."

"Eren-

"We should be there for him, he shouldn't have to deal with this alone."

"Eren," Mikasa interrupted again. "Sasha and Krista volunteered to go to the hospital after the game. I don't think they need anyone in their faces right now. Don't call him tonight."

888

When they got home, Eren had showered, eaten, and three-wayed on the phone with Jean and Marco, repeating the same information Mikasa told him in the car.

Marco had found out from Mina directly after the game, and Jean was thoroughly upset.

Marco had to comfort them both, as both of them were feeling hot and angry at life again and he intercepted.

All that left him on his bed, absolutely exhausted, and not just because of playing soccer for ninety minutes straight.

 _Mansionair_ drifted through his speakers, filling his room with base and synth.

He was so close to sleep when his phone buzzed. He blindly felt around his pillow for it until it hit his hand.

 **Levi – Fri. 10:49 pm**

' _Sorry I'm so late, but congratulations on your win tonight. Hanji is proud.'_

Eren was so fucking sick of smiling like an idiot every time this man texted his phone. Things were going to shit and a simple text from him was a great pick-me-up.

 **Jaegerbomb – Fri. 10:50 pm**

' _It's no problem, and thanks. Wished you could have been there.'_

 **Levi – Fri. 10:52 pm**

' _Same. Watching you all play would have been better than sitting in this ice box office doing paperwork. Also, I'm still here.'_

 **Jaegerbomb – Fri. 10:53 pm**

' _Whoa, I'm sorry. That sounds like a lot, to be there so late.'_

 **Levi – Fri. 10:55 pm**

' _I'm almost done. And it is. It's too much, but my boss expects things out of me.'_

 **Jaegerbomb – Fri. 10:56 pm**

' _Does he not have other employees he can entrust all this work to?'_

 **Levi – Fri. 10:57 pm**

' _He does, but he trusts me the most. Plus we're kind of best friends so he feels like he can just use me.'_

 **Jaegerbomb – Fri. 10:58 pm**

' _Lol, oh wow. Well I guess that makes it a little better. If you're best friends then you must be around the same age?'_

 **Levi – Fri. 11:00 pm**

' _He's five years older than me. So thirty. I didn't plan on keeping you up this late.'_

Eren groans and shoves his head into his pillow. He wants to tell him that it's no problem, that they could text casual conversation all night and he would have no problem with that. Hell, he and Levi could text random words back and forth and Eren would still feel his heart race every time the man's name showed up on his screen.

This stupid crush (yes he admitted it to himself now) was going to ruin him. He was already embarrassed enough.

 **Jaegerbomb – Fri. 11:02 pm**

' _Lol it's okay. I was just laying here anyway.'_

 **Levi – Fri. 11:04 pm**

' _I'll still let you go. I'm getting ready to drive home anyway. Don't forget to text me if you find out your grade before Tuesday. Good night.'_

 **Jaegerbomb – Fri. 11:06 pm**

' _Drive safe. I will, and good night.'_


	14. Chapter 14

1Saturday comes and Carla is practically bouncing up and down in her shoes she's so excited.

She typically takes care of finding Eren something to wear for homecoming. It's not that he doesn't have a good fashion sense, but for special occasions, everything his mother seemed to pick worked better and he trusted her more than himself.

She and Mikasa had run off somewhere last week to look for a dress really fast. Eren hadn't seen it, and Mikasa hadn't showed it to him, but according to Carla…

" _You're sister is going to look so hot."_

All three of them argued in the kitchen about why that was not an appropriate statement for at least ten minutes.

But fast forward to this moment, and Eren was in his mirror, eyeing himself because if anyone looked hot tonight it was him.

Carla found a dark green vest, matching in line with Trost's colors, and a black dress shirt to go underneath along with black slacks and black shoes that he already had and had worn for literally every other homecoming since sophomore year.

Add the one nice watch he owned on top of all that and Eren would say he was looking _mean_.

He grabbed his wallet, made sure he had at least once 'precautionary' item in it, and his phone. There. He was set. His hair was fixed, and Mikasa had done some weird thing with his eyebrows earlier because she said he was looking rough. Not anymore though.

He picked up his bag for tonight, because they were all taking the party back to Annie's afterwards. Perfect. House on the lake. Alcohol. It was sublime.

Carla didn't know that though. Eren really thought his mother could guess, but if she knew they occasionally broke into some barbiturates, she hadn't said anything about it. Nothing other than the standard parent lectures about making good decisions and not giving into peer pressure. She was pretty observant, so she had to have some idea, but she didn't need to know the extent to which Eren and the others got fucked up because children are supposed to be angels.

Once he had all his stuff, he exited his room, closing his door behind him. This had been a rough week on them, on everyone, and a little turn up was in order.

Connie was going to be there tonight, with Sasha. No, it's not a date, according to them in the group chat. Sasha's dad volunteered to watch the twins for the night, considering Miss Rosie trusts him as much as she does Sasha.

"Ooohhhhhh." Carla squealed as Eren step down into the living room.

"You look so handsome!" She continued, clapping her hands together. "You're father and I did a good job."

Eren cringed.

As Carla was readying her phone for one million and one photos to be taken, she asked, "What time is Jean getting here?"

"Five thirty. We're all going to _Stohess_ to grab something to eat tonight before we go."

And for the next ten minutes, Carla made her beloved son pose in possibly every goddamn pose was possible for a simple school dance picture.

"Ugh, Mikasa needs to hurry up. I need pictures of you both."

Just then, the doorbell rang, and Eren didn't even have time to blink before Carla was whipping the door open and squealing when she saw Jean.

"Ooohhhh you both are just so handsome."

Jean's smile was dazzling, and Eren could admit, the fucker looked pretty good himself.

He was in a vest outfit much like Eren, except his vest was tan, just like his hair, with a white shirt underneath, and tan pants with white shoes. There was a fancy ass watch on his left wrist with gold accents and Eren knew it must be nice to be rich.

"Why thank you, Miss Carla."

Then for the next ten minutes, Carla made Jean and Eren pose next to each other in more positions and smiles and hand holding than should be allowed between two guy best friends. Not that it mattered, plus Jean seemed to be enjoying the attention.

All three of them heard the steady sound of heels on the floor, and knew that Mikasa must have finally finished assembling herself.

And _wow_.

Mikasa was rocking one of Carla's black clutch purses, Eren recognized. And he also recognized that her hair was messily curled and pinned up.

She had on a long, royal purple satin dress with short sleeves, split on both sides of the legs so that her legs were free to be. And Eren knew that Mikasa hated wearing make-up, but her eyes were… what's the word for it? Slaying? They were slaying with the black wings.

Between Carla's squealing and hugging and Mikasa's faked displeased expression with all the attention, Eren was smiling, and when he looked over at Jean, he noticed his best friend was looking dehydrated.

"Wow." Jean said.

Everyone turned to look at him, and Carla flung her eyes between the two of them, wiggling her eyebrows suggestively, and Eren was reminded how silly his mother could be at times.

"Okay you three." She interrupted, "Pictures."

And for the next ten minutes, Carla made their lives hell.

The trio was more than happy to finally exit the house, hopping in Jean's corvette and waving as Jean peeled off.

"Tonight," He said, hitting the highway. "Is going to be great."

"Hell yeah." Eren agreed from the backseat. They had all thrown their sleep-over bags in the trunk. "And think, we have to turn right back around and do the same thing for Halloween next weekend at your house."

Jean whooped, Mikasa smiled, and they blasted music on their way to _Stohess_.

888

When they pulled into the parking lot for _Stohess_ , they were in the middle of a discussion of what they were going to wear for Halloween, and who was going to be invited.

"It can't be any freshman there." Mikasa said, rolling her eyes.

"I'm not personally inviting any, but you know how it goes. They'll somehow show up anyway. And to be honest, everyone underneath our class looks so puny that I can't even tell whose fresh meat anymore."

They parking lot was moderately crowded, but _Stohess_ was always crowded. It was your standard 'Baby let me take you on a nice date for bomb ass food and pay less than twenty five dollars' kind of restaurant, and their squad was perfectly fine with it.

Annie had volunteered to be the first there and made reservations for their large ass family beforehand so they could sit and eat and still get to homecoming in decent time.

When they walked in, a few of the waitresses and customers smiled at them, telling them they looked good. A booth full of what looked like small-dicked Smith frat boys whistled as Mikasa walked by. Eren didn't plan on kicking anybody's ass tonight but…

"Keep walking." Mikasa said from behind him. "Don't even stare them down."

Their waitress had led them to a table towards the back, specifically reserved for large parties. Annie was already sitting there, staring at her phone and typing away, looking hella good.

She smirked when she saw them walking up, and whistled when she saw Mikasa.

"Well damn, is anybody here opposed to a threesome tonight?"

"The three being you, Jean, and Mikasa." Eren had to clarify.

"What?" Jean asked disbelievingly, waiting for Annie to stand up so he could hug her. "You can't handle all of me."

She cursed him and laughed. Eren was struck by her appearance once she stood up.

" _Goddamn_! Are _you_ opposed to having a threesome tonight?"

Mikasa picked her seat and began to sit down. "The three being you, Annie, and Jean."

"They can't handle all of me." Annie said.

She was wearing royal blue again. That was her safe color for school dances. Her dress was shorter, a little above her knees and loose at the bottom, tight and silver at the top. And she had her hair down, curled.

Before Jean could come up with a good retort, Ymir and Krista walked in right behind them and Eren faked passing out into a chair.

" _Jesus_ , if you all look this good now, I can't wait for prom."

Krista giggled like always. She wore red, as per usual, even though she could dominate any color. Her dress was flowery and nude at the top, and swinging at the bottom like Annie's. About the same length too.

Ymir was right behind her, wearing black slacks, black dress shoes, and the same color red Krista had on as a dress shirt, except her dress shirt was slightly unbuttoned at the top and…

"Ymir you are giving me hardcore dike at the bottom and sexiness at the top." Annie whistled.

Ymir smirked, scratching the back of her head. Her hair was down. "Hey, I can switch it up too."

Everyone showed up one by one. Marco and Mina in matching lavender. Reiner showed up, by himself unfortunately, in all white with a rainbow patterned vest. It was his goal to look like an absolute fuck nugget every homecoming.

Eren was laughing so hard he swore he was going to throw up the free bread the waitress had brought out for them.

"This isn't as bad as last year." Ymir said, tears in her eyes.

"Yeah." Reiner agreed, walking over to sit on one end at the head of the table. "I had to burn that horse-patterned vest from last year's homecoming."

Jean scowled. "Why did you even wear that piece of crap?" He asked, gesturing towards Reiner's current state.

"Gay and proud." He smirked.

Connie and Sasha came last. Sasha was pretty crafty and creative, so she had taken some gold fabric and sewn her dress together, and it was long like Mikasa's and Mina's, except there was no split in it, and it was strapless. Connie was in all black looking like a member of the mafia.

"There's the happy couple." Krista laughed, taking pictures of them on her phone.

Connie flicked the camera off and they went and sat down by Reiner.

Eren was super thankful they got a table in the back because they were rowdy as fuck and Reiner threw a french fry at Marco, who tried to catch it in his mouth with no success.

"Marco," Jean said over his sweat tea, "if you wanna get better at catching things in your mouth, just ask Eren. He gets lots of practice."

Eren continued cutting his steak. "Jean, didn't I tell you not to discuss our private matters in public?"

Everyone in the table burst into laughter.

"Yo," Connie said, once he calmed down, "when is Ilse coming?"

"She's not." Ymir answered. "But she's already taken care of the alcohol. Me and Krista are gonna go pick it up after homecoming and take it back to Annie's. She said not to get too rowdy tonight, though.

Reiner smirked. "No guarantees."

888

There was only so much that students were allowed to do in a school setting. For one, the booty music must be kept to a minimum. Like, booty music could be playing, but every expletive had to be skipped over, and nothing too intense could be played.

"Guarantee there won't be any Ying Yang Twins." Reiner said from behind Eren, as their group of friends walked down the decorated halls to the school gymnasium.

Eren shook his head. "It's not a dance if the Ying Yang Twins aren't playing, but whatever. It's too much anyway."

Ymir agreed. "One minute everyone will be dancing, and the next minute all the freshman would be dry humping each other."

Homecoming really wasn't a senior event. All the seniors had done this at least once or twice already in the three previous years of their high school attendance. They knew the ropes. There would be fun music to dance to, but there couldn't be too much turning up.

As they walked into the gym, the air felt like it had been sucked out because it was hot already, thanks to the ridiculous amount of freshman students in attendance.

"There goes Shadis." Jean said, pointing out the dean standing by the punch and dessert table, with his flashlight ready.

"Oh, he's got the flashlight. You know he'll be moving through the crowd in a minute." Connie added, his hand on Sasha's arm.

"Does Pixis have his binoculars this year?" Marco asked. "Remember last year when he stood on the second floor and stared down on everyone from above with those dinosaurs."

Just then, there was a different voice. "He can't do that anymore. Somebody told their parents and their parents complained that he could see down girl's dresses from that angle."

Their little unit turned around in the direction of the voice, and Krista squealed.

"Armin you look so handsome!"

She ran to hug him, and Reiner already had a hand on his shoulder.

"Looks nice in here." He complimented.

"Thanks." Armin smiled. "Sorry I couldn't make it to dinner. I had to help set up."

Eren walked up and pushed Krista out of the way, gently, so he could embrace his best friend.

Armin was dressed like the rest of the guys pretty much; vest suit, with a dark blue dress shirt underneath.

"You look great." Eren said, grabbing him by the shoulders. "Let's dance."

It was some song Eren couldn't identify, but it had enough bass and slaps to make it fun to dance to. So, they all grabbed each other's hands like a group of girls going to the bathroom together, and headed out to the floor.

They breezed past the underclassmen, who were staring in awe, because they looked goddamn _great_. Eren recognized some of the junior soccer players, and acknowledged them.

Mina and Marco were dancing together of course. She was posted on him kind of awkwardly, moving back on him as Marco was red in the face, but smiling.

The rest of them danced in a huge circle, as always. The first place Connie went was to stand in front of Sasha and twerk.

"Already Connie?" Ymir yelled over the music.

"Gotta get lit in here." He yelled back. "If we get hyped, the crowed will get hyped too."

And so it did.

If people saw other people having a good time, then they would be persuaded to have a good time as well. Homecoming was a limited event, but it was about what you could make of it, not what it would offer.

Mikasa and Annie were on each other, Jean was kind of just dancing in the group. Reiner was all over the place at once. At some point in time, Shadis had sifted through the crowd, flashlight on and observing the hands of the boys and the waists of the girls to make sure they weren't connected.

Diplo came on, and Eren unbuttoned his vest because damn, this was his song.

Now _this_ was booty music.

The crowd seemed to grow larger as the song started, everyone either clapping their hands to the beat or dancing on someone else. Shadis could stop a few people, but he couldn't stop everyone. If _all_ asses were shaking across the gym, then they couldn't be stopped.

And Reiner, _oh_ , Reiner.

He twerked on Shadis.

When that heavy beat dropped, he was in front of the dean in no time, hands on his knees, and lower body surprisingly on beat.

Thank god Ymir had her phone out so she could record.

Shadis wasted no time in shoveling Reiner off him, whom was still dancing, and yelling at him. Except the music was so loud, and his words were unintelligible, and before he could even give him the hand stamp to exempt him from the dance, the crowd shifted, swallowing Shadis back into the thick, leaving Reiner home free.

"Gotta thank Diplo!" Sasha yelled, and Connie was the only one able to hear her.

888

The music slowed down a while later, thankfully. Eren was getting sweaty.

They had found a table for their group, and everyone else was still out dancing around, except for Eren and Mikasa.

Mikasa was sitting next to him, arm propped up on his shoulder, observing the people around her.

"Not dancing with Jean tonight?" Eren asked, smirking.

She punched his arm.

"Either way, you look great." Eren squeezed out, clenching his arm. "Where's Annie?"

"Dancing with Reiner." Mikasa answered. "She's trying to keep him company, keep him busy so he doesn't start thinking too hard about Bertholdt."

Eren shook his head. "I hate that this is happening to them."

"Yeah, well. Such is life."

It was only a matter of time, the both of them knew, that the _one particular_ slow song would start, and everyone would grab their date or boyfriend or girlfriend and pull them in to an awkward embrace and start dancing.

' _When your legs don't work like they used to before…'_

"God fucking damnit." Eren groaned, rolling his eyes. Mikasa laughed at him, because everyone knew this wonderful song had been played out.

Just then, Jean walked up, vest also unbuttoned, but still looking like he stepped straight out of a magazine.

"Hey, Mikasa," he began hesitantly, "you wanna dance?"

Eren looked at him like he had fire shooting out of his eyeballs. And Mikasa just squinted.

"Why?" She asked. "Already grinded on every other girl in here?"

Jean smirked and laughed. He was learning to take her bluntness better.

"No." He said. "Not _every_ other girl."

Mikasa smirked too, looking down in her lap and nodded momentarily before standing up.

"Okay." She said.

They walked away, back towards the dance floor, and Eren watched them, shaking his head.

Connie had grabbed Sasha by the waist, despite their height difference, and she was laughing like crazy from whatever he was saying. He was probably singing, so horribly off tune that she couldn't stand it. Marco and Mina were so cute, latched on to each other and mouthing the words.

Reiner had his arms around Annie's back, also singing off tune, making Annie red in the face as she was unsuccessfully trying to act like she wasn't enjoying it. Ymir and Krista were doing the same thing, except it was Krista serenading an annoyed Ymir.

And Mikasa and Jean. Well, damn.

In just that short amount of time, Jean ended up having one hand on her back and the other entwined with one of hers. Mikasa was looking over his shoulder, mouthing the words to herself, and Eren had never seen Jean look so content before, unless he was pampering Rednal.

Everybody looked good, like they were genuinely happy for this small moment. Eren looked around and spotted Armin by the dessert table, helping pass out small snacks, and his chest swelled.

Armin was going to go so far in life, farther than he had already, because that natural instinct he had ingrained in him to help people and serve in any way he could was going to bring him nothing but happiness and success, and Eren felt a small pang of guilt in his chest, because he should have never started acting so bitter towards him. He loved him, and he had been selfish, and that was the last thing Armin needed.

"Is it just me, or is this song played out now?"

Eren turned back around, eyeing a girl with short blonde hair in a gold and black knee length dress in front of him, arms crossed over her chest and a playful look in her eyes.

"No." He answered, smirking, gesturing his head to the empty seat next to him for her to sit. "It's pretty overdone."

"Gosh, the amount of freshman here is damn ridiculous. I've been humped on by like four fifteen year old boys tonight and I'm about done."

Eren laughed loudly. "Oh come on, Hitch, how was that any different from us freshman year?"

Hitch looked over at him and smiled. "Remember freshman year homecoming when you had a crush on that one senior girl soccer player, and Connie dared you to go dance behind her, and you did…

"And she slapped the shit out of me," Eren finished. "Yeah, those were the times."

Hitch had to finish laughing before she continued. "Why aren't you out there? Where's your date?"

"It's me. I am my date."

"Well I shouldn't be surprised. You're really not one for dates when it comes to parties or dances."

Eren truthfully hadn't talked to Hitch in a long time. And by long time, he meant since the beginning of junior year. They had no classes together, never really passed each other much in the hallway. He only really saw her face through social media and heard of her through the occasional random guy talking about her in ways that he had already personally experienced.

Yeah, Hitch Dreyse is the person Eren lost his virginity to and quite frankly he's accepted that he regrets it just a little.

It was freshman year. A horrible time of hormones and hastily made decisions and irresponsible alcohol consumption, and it was a night at someone's house, Eren couldn't even remember whose, in a guest bathroom shower (no the water was not on), with Hitch against the wall.

And it was absolutely the most embarrassing moment of his high school career, besides his calf muscle seizing up on him in the game against Sina high last year in front of all those soccer scouts.

"Mhmm, what about you? Where's Marlo?"

Hitch rolled her eyes and waved a hand. "Somewhere in here, not dancing, being boring. He's my date, I guess. I mean, we came together, but he doesn't want to do anything."

Eren laughed. "It's Marlo. What do you expect?"

Hitch placed her elbows on the table and folded her hands underneath her chin. "I expect someone who asked me on a date to actually, ya know, be a date."

They talked for a little while more, about school, national testing, college, that disgusting bow tie Pixis was wearing, just little things. Soon, Eren saw the whole squad approaching the table, laughing and hanging on to each other in some way.

"Hey, Hitch!" Reiner called out and waved.

"Hey," she smiled, "you guys look like you're having fun."

Everyone picked a seat at the table, Mina sitting on Marco's lap, and started drinking punch and eating to pass time.

"Have to make it as fun as possible." Connie said. "But you know, tonight isn't as lame as I thought it was going to be."

"Because Sasha." Jean muttered under his breath, receiving a nice whack of a party favor thrown in his face, courtesy of Krista.

"Yo, Hitch," Annie began, "if you and Marlo aren't doing anything tonight, you guys can come back to my place for a little...illegal fun."

Hitch laughed. "Really? I mean, Marlo's going to be an awkward wallflower, but I'm definitely down."

"The more the merrier." Marco added. Eren noticed that Mina wasn't smiling anymore.

"What time are we getting out of here?" Ymir asked, fanning herself with an empty paper plate.

"Eh, close to ten, I guess." Annie answered. "Maybe a little sooner. Connie's gotta get the twins."

"Wait," Eren sat forward, "Conbon, you're not coming tonight?"

Connie shrugged, cookie in his mouth. "Nah, I can't leave Nina and Kai with Sasha's dad all night. He's got work at five in the morning, and I know he volunteered to watch them but I don't wanna burden him."

"I'm trying to tell you, he'll be okay." Sasha laughed. "The worst they'll do is eat up all the cereal." And then her face grew grave. "No," she whispered. "Not _my_ cereal."

"Still," he countered, "I'm not gonna drink tonight. By the way, Jean, I'll be at your party next weekend, but it won't be until later because I'm taking the twins trick-or-treating."

"Who's gonna watch them after?" Jean asked, raising an eyebrow.

"My dad. Only this time they'll have to stay the night." Sasha answered. "Connie won't be sober for hours after the next morning."

"Oh yeah," Hitch added in, smirking in Jean's direction. "It's the infamous Kirstein turn up for Halloween."

Jean smiled back. "You know it. Apparently, since it's our senior year and I obviously won't be here next year to throw another bash, word has gotten around. People from Sina and Olbd are supposed to be coming."

That got everyone excited, well, just about everyone.

"Oh great," Ymir added, rolling her eyes. "Just what we need. More fuckboys to plague the area."

"Oh come on!" Reiner laughed out. "The more the merrier, right Marco?" Marco looked undecided.

"I mean, I don't really mind." Jean stated, shrugging his shoulders. "We all know how to deal with people if they get too rowdy. I know someone that works for the police department that can help us out a little bit if need be. It's gucci."

Eren jumped in. "All I'm saying is that if that guy from Sina shows up, the one that swiped under my leg at finals last year, he better keep his fucking mouth closed."

Annie smirked. "The really hot one? The one you blamed for making your calf muscle seize up, even though leg swiping has nothing to do with cramps?"

"Why are you helping the enemy!?"

"It should be fun." Marco interjected. "I think. We always have a good time."

Everyone eventually came to a consensus that Halloween weekend would be lit, with or without newcomers, except for Mikasa, whom Eren didn't miss, was quiet.

"Yo, do we wanna get one more dance in?" Connie proposed.

There were collective murmurs, everyone not really sure if they felt like fighting through the masses of underclassmen again, and then...

' _Here's your chance, do your dance, here's your chance, do your dance...'_

"Ah, shit." Eren said, standing up. "Might as well."

888

 **Levi – Sat. 10:01 pm**

' _I hear tonight is homecoming. Don't get too drunk.'_

Eren didn't see that text message until nearly midnight. After they got back to Annie's. After they broke out the liquor. After he'd taken his third body shot off Hitch. After his feet started to get unstable.

"Ah, shit." Eren slurred, standing up and swaying, trying to focus on his phone in his hand.

Armin was right next to him in a heartbeat. "Hey, Eren. Are you alright?"

"Yeah, Army, I'm fine. Just…look what Levi sent me."

He shoved the phone so close to Armin's face he had to retract. Armin skimmed the words and shook his head.

"Tell him it's too late."

Eren groaned. "Armin, _nooo_. Take my phone. Here, take it. Don't let me drunk text him again."

"Are you sure?"

"Yeah, totally." Eren laughed. "It's better than me saying something embarrassing again."

The two of them were in the kitchen, which Eren had just finished taking another baby shot of Malibu. He hadn't gotten into the hard liquor yet. He'd save the whisky for when he was ready to die.

Just then, Ymir waltzed into the kitchen. "Hey, Coconut, fuckboy galore. We're playing never have I ever. Get your drink ready."

Everyone was sitting around Annie's living room, making a shitty circle and chatting away. Marlo stood out like a sore thumb, appearing as though he really didn't want to be there, or anywhere. That was Marlo.

"Armin, where's your drink?" Krista sing-songed.

"I'm not participating. I'll just…mediate."

"You're no fun." Hitch cooed. She was drunk.

"Are you all ready?" Annie asked. Eren could never tell when Annie was drunk or not. Her cheeks got rosy. That's about it. She chased frequently, so he assumed that she always wanted to remain in control, like Mikasa.

"Ready freddy." Reiner answered.

"I'll start, I guess." Jean said.

Ymir smacked her lips. "Jean, you might as well go ahead and finish off the rest of that Malibu in your cup, because 'aint a thing in this world you haven't fucking done!"

That made everyone laugh. Ymir on the regular was great. Drunk, rowdy Ymir was a treasure.

Jean smirked. "Never have I have done anything involving anal."

Eren smacked his lips. "Jean, now you _know_ …"

Marco gasped. "Already, Jean? Already."

Reiner took a sip, as did Hitch, which made Ymir's eyes widen.

"Whoa, Hitch! I didn't take you as the type." Ymir added.

"Yeah, well, neither did that girl."

"My god." Marco whispered.

Mina laughed, and it was her turn. "Um, never have I ever…gone streaking."

Everyone in the room except Marlo took a sip.

"You can't be in our group of friends without going through the initiation," Reiner said, "so we've all streaked."

"In Annie's back yard to be specific," Krista added.

Then it was Marco's turn.

"Um, never have I ever…did anything nasty in church?"

No one took a drink, mostly because no one else in the room attended church regularly except Marco.

It was Krista's turn. "Never have I ever did anything sexual with a guy."

Annie, Reiner, and Hitch all took a drink.

"Wait a minute!" Eren yelled. "Annie?"

Annie smirked. "Don't be surprised, Jaeger."

Ymir went next. "Never have I ever sucked a dick."

Once again, Annie, Reiner, and Hitch all drank. Also Mina.

"My drink's gonna be gone before this round is over." Reiner slurred. He was already feeling it.

"Annie!" Marco gasped.

Annie raised her hands. "I have an entire house to myself. I don't see why you're all surprised."

"Is it someone we know?" Jean inquired, wiggling his eyebrows.

Annie cleared her throat. "Mikasa, it's your turn."

Mikasa shrugged. "Never have I ever had sex."

Everyone in the room except Marco and Marlo drank.

Ymir clicked her tongue. "Armin, you need to play. I'm interested in seeing what the coconut has been up to."

Armin had been staring an Annie before his name was called, which Krista didn't miss. She squinted her eyes.

"Someone has to be sober tonight." He laughed out.

Annie went. "Never have I ever stolen something from a store."

Jean, Eren, Hitch, Reiner, and Ymir all drank.

"I have sexually immoral thieves for friends." Marco whined jokingly.

"The only damn ones you got." Jean retorted.

Then Reiner. He started laughing a while before he said it, but when he did, it really was _something_.

"Never have I ever," he stopped to burp. "Never have I ever eaten pussy."

The room erupted into protest. Ymir started downing her drink, Krista was too. Jean, Hitch, and Eren partook in that as well. It was ironic that both of those people he did that to were currently sitting in that very room with him. It was about to be his turn, but he noticed Mina was staring at Marco, a mischievous look in her eyes.

"Ahem," she cleared her throat.

Everyone's attention was on them now. Jean caught on real fast, as well as Reiner and Eren.

"Marco…" Jean sing-songed.

Marco was trying to keep his eyes on the floor, but his red face was betraying him.

"Should I say it again?" Reiner asked. "Never have I ever…"

He crawled across the living room floor on all fours, making sure he was right in front of Marco's hot face before he finished.

"Ate. The. Pussy."

"Be honest, Marco." Armin said from behind his hands.

"You heard the mediator." Mina said.

Marco picked up his cup, slowly. Annie's eyes were widening by the second. Ymir was latched on to Krista, a disbelieving look on her face.

Even Marlo, who had pretty much been absent from the party in spirit the whole night was leaning forward, looking intrigued.

He brought the cup to his lips; even Mikasa looked incredulous.

"Oh my god." Hitch said.

"Y'all ever seen an angel fall?" Jean asked. "Because you're about to."

Marco closed his eyes and finally took a sip of his drink. The room erupted into noise again.

"Oh my god!" Reiner laughed out, moving back to his spot on the circle. "You gotta be kidding me! Really, Marco?"

Krista was smiling. "I'm so proud of you."

"Holy shit." Annie said, a look of approval on her face. "Good job, bodty boy."

Eren interrupted. "Wait, wait! I've got one."

Everyone got their cup ready.

Eren smirked. "Never have I ever…licked peanut butter off someone's nipples."

No one in the room except Mina took a drink.

Everyone was screaming by that point, Marco was red in the face again.

"It was one time, Eren!" Mina yelled. "Tell them, Marco."

"Nope!" Marco answered. "I am never telling any of you anything ever again. Especially you, Eren."

"Good job, Jaegerbomb!" Reiner praised.

The turns were about to come full circle, but Hitch and Marlo were left.

Hitch hiccupped before she went. "Never have I ever had a threesome."

No one in the room took a drink.

"Thank god." Marco sighed.

"Come on, Marlo." Jean invited. "It's your turn."

This was probably about to be the only few words they had heard Marlo say all night, but he certainly didn't waste them.

"Never have I ever been caught masturbating by my mom."

And the list of people who drank were astounding.

First, Eren. His mom had caught him loving himself a few times. Eventually she just allowed him to start locking his door.

Then Jean. He liked to watch high quality porn in his room; he even had subscriptions, but would forget to lock the door.

Then Krista. Eren didn't know how the hell that managed to happen but he found it hilarious that it did.

Then…

Mikasa took a sip, not an ounce of shame on her face. Everyone cried out again, except for Eren, who just looked disturbed.

"Whoa, Mika." Annie laughed. "Carla caught you with that thing?"

"Thing!?" Eren sounded horrified. "What thing? Wait…I don't even wanna kn-

"My vibrator." She answered before he could finish.

If Eren was going to throw up tonight, it would partially be due to the fact that he just heard his adopted sister say she uses a vibrator. Other half would be the alcohol.

Everyone was laughing, Jean was left stark, and staring like that was possibly the best thing he had ever heard in his entire life. Even Armin, who counted himself out of this game, couldn't stop his poorly hidden cackling.

Marco shook his head. "Sexually immoral thieves, I say."

Reiner laughed. "I know you're not talking. Mr. Peanut Butter."

888

It was 2 am. That's all Annie could process as she stumbled onto the patio in her own back yard. She could still make out Reiner's big, shirtless frame in the darkness. He was on the edge of the dock that looked over the lake. He was flat on his back, arms spread eagle.

"Move. Move over." She said as her bare feet padded across the wood.

Reiner groaned, but did as he was told. He made enough room for Annie to sit down on the edge, then fall on her back and mirror his position. He wasn't a small guy; his right arm stretched back out and extended over her bare stomach.

"Put on a shirt." He said.

"No. It got too hot. Sports bras are comfortable."

The two of them laid there for a while, staring up at the clear night sky, hopelessly trying to count the stars. It was quiet, far away from the rest of the world, or so it felt like. It was the one place Annie could actually say she loved to be.

"I'm so done with drinking." She said.

"At least until Halloween." Reiner laughed out.

She smirked. "Oh, I don't wanna fucking feel my legs that night."

"What are you dressing up as?"

She mentally shrugged. "Dunno. Haven't figured it out. You?"

"A football player."

"You lazy ass."

Reiner laughed again. "Hell, Bert and I were both supposed to go as football players. That was gonna be the joke, since everyone was asking if we would do some kind of couple dress up. But now…

He stopped. He completely stopped talking, because he didn't want to delve into the 'now' of that situation. Even though Annie and everyone else in their group of friends already knew.

"When was the last time you talked to him?" Annie asked.

He sighed. "I have called him every day since he walked out of my house. He hasn't been to practice. Nobody acts like they see him around school. He's just dropped off the face of the earth to us I guess."

"I saw him yesterday, leaving school. He was leaving too. He didn't see me." She added.

Reiner lolled his head to his right to look at Annie. "What did he look like? Like, how was he looking?"

"Like himself."

It was silent again. The cicadas were making enough white noise to take away the edge of it, but it still didn't excuse the fact that it was _there_.

"Why?" Annie continued. "You want him to look miserable without you?"

Reiner exhaled. "I don't know what the fuck I want, Annie."

She waited. She let him work up the courage to open his mouth again and speak. She was good at prying answers out of people when she wanted explanations. But this wasn't anything to pry. These were Reiner's personal feelings he was getting ready to spew, and he didn't do that often at all. If easygoing needed a visual to accompany it in the dictionary, it would be Reiner's face right next to it.

"I've got the opportunity of a life time. Full ride for Dock University. Biomed program. It's everything I wanted. I don't have people around that expect shit from me. Not family, not my dad. Just you guys and Bertholdt. And now he acts like he can't stand the sight of me."

In the process of that little speech, Reiner had sat up on the edge, looking straight ahead on the water.

"Maybe he's just scared."

"He's always scared, Annie. Always nervous and fucking anxious, that's the norm. Him acting like this, though, that's not normal. He really doesn't want anything to do with me. So what the hell am I supposed to do? I haven't felt this away about anyone in my life and he's the only person I've been this close with and done everything with, and I'm fucking losing him over a scholarship. And I can't take it because I fucking-

He stopped, and that's when Annie heard him inhale, shakily. She slowly sat up, because it's not like Reiner cries regularly. But she didn't put a hand on his shoulder, she didn't give him a hug. Giving people space when they were upset was important.

He buried his face in his hands and continued sniffling, and Annie turned around and looked over her shoulder to make sure no one was coming out the back door.

"I fucking love him so much." He finally finished. "And now I'm gonna have to lose him."

His sniffling decreased, and he began wiping his face. "Sorry, shit. I'm still drunk."

Annie wanted to retort that it wasn't the alcohol making him feel this way, but he let him make his excuses and sat next to him in silence.

"What am I supposed to do? He's already made up his mind."

She was going to regret this, she knew she was. But she had been friends with both Reiner and Bertholdt longer than she had been friends with everyone else. They were their own little trio, just like Armin, Eren, and Mikasa.

"I'll talk to him."

Reiner snapped his head back to his right. "What?"

"I'll wait for him by his car and talk to him." She repeated. "What's the worst that can happen?"

"He'll avoid you."

Then they both looked at each other and smirked.

"If there's anybody in this world Bert doesn't know how to say 'no' to, it's me."

888

It was 2 am. That's all Mikasa could think about as he had her feet lifted off the ground while she rocked back and forth on one of Annie's chairs on her front porch.

Armin was in the chair next to her, sitting mildly still, enjoying the quiet while it lasted.

"You think everyone's settled down?" He asked.

Mikasa shrugged, because _damn it all_ , she was still dizzy herself. Eating, dancing, and drinking was taking its toll.

"I hope. Because when I go back inside, I'm getting in Annie's bed and crashing."

Armin hummed in agreement. "Where's Eren?"

Mikasa frowned. "Somewhere in there with Hitch."

Both of them shuddered, and then giggled.

"Should we stop him?" She asked.

Armin sighed. "I don't know. I wouldn't wanna get in the way of his…craft."

That made Mikasa really laugh, and they let the night air blow across their warm faces and cool their toes.

"What's on your mind?" She asked.

Armin smiled at her. "What makes you think-

"You're not student body president, not here, not with me. You're just Armin. I know when something is up."

That shut him up real quick.

"Sorry." She apologized quickly. "I didn't mean to be harsh."

"Please, don't say you're sorry." He said, a sad smile on his face. "If anyone's feeling sorry, it's me."

"What's wrong?"

He waited to answer, clearing his throat of absolutely nothing but nerves and inhibition because it had been a long time since he sat down and confided in someone.

"I'm going to go off to Rochester, and you're going to Dock. And Eren could probably go to Smith, if he focused a bit more on school. And we're going to separate, and talk less and less until we stop talking altogether. I have to leave everybody and everything behind, even grandpa, and I'm worried about him being by himself. I'm practically already half way out the door."

"Have you always felt this way?" She asked. "Or is this just because you and Eren got into it before. Because if that's the case, then you're just going to have to let him get over himself."

She was channeling her conversation with Carla from before, because it's what needed to be said.

"He's supposed to be my best friend." Armin said quietly, messing with his hands and staring in his lap. "But I feel like our friendship is just going to go stale."

"Because he's being an ass?"

Armin shook his head quickly. "Not an ass. But distant. Like, I don't know what he wants me to do."

Mikasa scoffed. "Eren doesn't even know what he wants to do."

That made Armin giggle a bit. "Why are we insulting him?"

"Because he's being difficult. And I'm not joking. He and I have had our issues recently too."

"Because of Grisha."

"Right."

"Well, what does he want you to do? Not talk to him?"

"Probably." She shrugged. "What does he want you to do? Not go off to college?"

Armin sat back in his chair and started rocking as well. They were scrutinizing the one person they never wanted to lose as a friend, and that was because that one person was acting strange.

"He's not being mean." He continued. "But it's like he's not getting his way, and…I don't know. I love Eren to death, but I can't stand feeling like I have to appease him."

Mikasa's eyes widened. This was possibly the most harsh she had heard Armin speak concerning Eren.

"You don't. Armin, he's going to love you no matter what, but he's gonna have to realize that high school is over. Real life is right around the corner, and I don't know what he expects from the world, but it certainly can't be appeasement."

Mikasa waited before she continued.

"When my parents died, everything was a whirlwind. It's like I didn't even have time to grieve I didn't want to do anything. Didn't want to go back to school, didn't wanna move. Didn't wanna have to deal with a dark haired, green eyed, energetic kid like Eren.

Then she smiled. "But him and Carla were the best things that could have ever happened in a situation like that. It's hard to process sometimes, that I lost both my parents at once, and gained an entire family. All you guys."

"I love Eren to death, and he's never done anything but be there for me, but I can't take his attitude about this. About Grisha. About you. He's not going to guilt trip me into feeling badly about trying to have a father figure. And don't tell him I said that. It's not like I've been dying for a dad, but Grisha cares, you know. Despite what Eren says, he cares."

Armin shrugged. "I am never going to agree with Grisha's decision of being absent from Eren, maybe that's just my personal bias, for obvious reasons. But at least he's trying. Some kids don't even get that from their parents."

Mikasa agreed. "Some kids don't even have parents."

They let that sentence hang in the air where it was. Because as close as they all were, they were still incredibly different as far as familial situations go.

"It's not like I'm trying to marginalize his feelings," Armin added quickly. "If I ever told him this, he would probably think I'm trying to say he has no right to complain. But it's not that. I totally get why he's upset, but…I don't know, he's just…"

"Carrying dead weight." Mikasa finished.

"Not exactly what I was going to say," Armin smiled, "but same idea."

She sighed. "He'll be fine. It's going to be okay. Miss Springer is going to be okay, so is Connie and the twins, so is Reiner and Bert. We're all going to be okay. Grandpa, too."

Armin hummed. "I hope you're right."

888

It was 3am. That was one of the _few_ things Eren could process as his bare back was on the cold, wooden floor of Annie's father's bedroom.

It's not like the man lived here, really. Whenever he did show up, once in a blue moon, this was his room. It was pretty bare, save for sheets of paper strewn on a plain wooden desk. The majority of the space was taken up by a queen sized bed with mismatched covers and one stained quilt.

Hitch was on top of him. That was another thing he could process. She was still fully clothed, but her lounge clothes were getting wrinkled and out of place due to her fervent grinding, whether from drunken dancing or grinding on Eren.

The last thing he could process was that he wasn't sure if he wanted this. He had been here before, done this before, especially with Hitch, but that was a long time ago. His last sexual encounter was a long time ago, which sounded kind of poor in retrospect, considering he was only seventeen. It felt nice, the contact. He couldn't even really remember when was the last time he touched himself, much less when someone else did.

But despite that, he had this nagging feeling that he should _not_ be doing this. It's not like he didn't have the right precautionary items, he just felt uneasy.

Hitch was getting into it, though. Her hands were beginning to travel down his torso. Blunt, uneven fingernails left temporary red trails in their path. She was moving her body down his, kissing her way down, and Eren could feel his body responding, but yet…

"Yo, hey, Hitch." He said.

"Huh, what?" She asked, lifting her head up from above his clothed crotch.

"Hold on, sit up for a sec." He said. Hitch looked confused, but she did as he asked, sitting cris-crossed next to him as he propped his limp body against the bed.

"What's wrong? Don't tell me you don't have a condom."

"No." Eren said. "Wait, I do! It's not that. I just…I'm not really feeling it, ya know?"

Hitch didn't know. "No. What are you talking about?"

"I'm not really sure about doing this." Eren blurted out. All that hard liquor was starting to catch up, addling his brain and stopping him from articulating exactly what he wanted to say. He was going to have a hangover, again.

"I'm not comfortable. I don't wanna do this." He raised his voice a little. "Sorry."

He moved to stand up, but it didn't exactly work out, what with alcohol and all. But he did manage to push himself to his feet, swaying a little bit once he was upright.

"Did I do something wrong?" Hitch scoffed. "You don't really seem like the type to turn down sex."

Eren ignored that. He didn't want to ask her what that meant, didn't need any elaboration. He needed a bed, a pillow, and a lot of sleep.

"It's not personal," he said, turning the bedroom door knob. "I just don't wanna do this."

He quietly moved out of the room. The house was quiet now. Everyone had pretty much drank themselves to sleep, Marco and Armin had been trying to keep everything under wraps.

He stumbled to the living room, bare feet sticking to the floors. Jean, Reiner, Marlo, and Armin were all in the living room, the latter one still up.

Armin was laying on the floor with his hands behind his head, thin blanket covering his body. When he saw Eren, he sat up.

"Hey, are you alright?" He whispered. "Do you need some water?"

Eren waved as if to say he was fine, but he plopped down on the ground next to his best friend, and leaned his heavy head on his shoulder.

"I'm drunk, Army."

Armin giggled. "So is everyone else. Are you okay? You look flushed."

Armin quickly made an 'oh' face, because he remembered just exactly where Eren had come from and who he was with.

"Did…did you and Hitch…"

"No." Eren interrupted. "I couldn't go through with it."

Armin nodded. That was a perfectly acceptable answer for him. He didn't want to know the details.

"Well, Levi texted you."

Eren bolted up, almost falling over to the other side because he was so off kilter.

"What? What, when?"

Armin reached underneath the blanket and handed Eren back his phone.

Eren took it slowly, his stomach was already churning because he had no idea what Levi could have texted him at this hour.

 **Levi – Sun. 12:29 am**

' _Hey, I know you're probably having fun. But you didn't text me back earlier. Just wanted to make sure you're alright.'_

 **Levi – Sun. 12:31 am**

' _Because if you turn up missing, and your mom comes running across the street scared out of her mind, I'm not going to lie to her for you.'_

 **Levi – Sun. 12:35 am**

' _Are you dead? If you're dead I'm gonna be so pissed. Tutoring you brought nice extra money.'_

Eren could feel his stomach do that gross thing again. His chest was swelling, and he was smiling like an idiot. No shock there. It happened every single time.

"Hold on," Eren said, struggling to push himself to his feet. "I'll be back."

"Where are you going?"

"Patio. Don't worry. I'm not going for a swim."

Armin let him go, watching him closely, then smiled. He was so obvious.

888

Eren sat on the edge of the dock, swinging his feet, biting his lip, and trying to psych himself up to call Levi. He technically didn't _need_ to call him, but he wanted to. He felt bad enough already that he didn't see those messages or respond to ease his worries, but was calling someone after 3 in the morning for regular conversation appropriate? Because the only thing open after 3 am was diners and…

Never mind.

He clicked on Levi's name in his contacts, and hit the phone symbol.

Shit. It was dialing. It was ringing. He was calling Levi. For the first time. And it just so happened to be when he was drunk, shirtless, and still _worked up_. After 3 in the morning.

It rang, and rang, and Eren was about to give up. Because why would an adult with a real life and job be up at this hour? And then…

" _You've got to be fucking kidding me."_

Eren's words got caught in his throat, along with his breath. Because _holy shit_ he answered and-

" _Hello?"_

"Uh, hey. Levi, hey."

What a loser.

" _Yeah, hey. It's almost 4 in the damn morning."_

Eren didn't feel bad. He only smiled. He had learned to recognize the tone of voice where Levi was being legitimately mad, and when he was just being…him.

"Sorry. I felt like I should call you. I didn't have my phone all night."

" _Didn't wanna drunk text again?"_

Eren laughed. He really laughed. Because screw being embarrassed about that. He felt so warm and fuzzy right now.

"Right. So, I'm not dead. You can still make a profit off me."

" _Great. But I really was just making sure you were okay. I'd rather have a drunk text message than nothing at all."_

Okay. So, Eren fucking knew that Levi meant that in the most innocent, non flirtatious, adult way possible. Nothing about that was supposed to be taken out of context. Nothing. No-thing.

"Suit yourself. Halloween is next weekend, and there's no telling what I'm going to do. I might even send you drunk pictures."

Oh god, Eren.

Then Levi laughed. It was warm, deep, a little raspy because he had clearly been asleep. But it was nice, and it made goose bumps stand up on Eren's neck that he would have otherwise blamed on the chilly air.

" _I'll be prepared. Did you have fun tonight?"_

Eren hummed. "A little. It's nothing new, but friends make everything better, ya know."

Levi agreed. _"Are you coming home first thing in the morning?"_

"Oh hell no. I'm slowly descending into a hangover. I can feel it. I'd never be able to pull that one over on my mom."

" _Drink plenty of water before you crash. It helps a little with being dizzy when you lay down. On your stomach of course."_

"I know the ropes."

" _You're fucking seventeen."_

"Gotta starm 'em early."

" _This is not-you know what, whatever. It's your senior year."_

Eren laughed. "It's kind of weird."

" _What?"_

"That high school is almost over. Feels like we just started."

Eren heard shifting in the background, and he figured Levi must be moving around in bed. The fact that he woke him up was starting to sink in now.

" _Well, such is life. It's here and it's gone before you know it."_

"Were you sad when you graduated? Did you have to leave anybody behind?"

" _Eren, I was so happy to get out of that hell hole, I debated tap dancing across the stage to get my diploma. And no."_

"I can see that happening."

What was supposed to be a quick, 'hey, I'm alive' call turned into a thirty minute conversation about nonsensical things that Eren was sure he was not going to remember when he woke up.

Or maybe he would. It was Levi, after all.


	15. Chapter 15

This week was going to be a busy week.

First, Eren had a lot of homework to catch up on. It was like he closed his eyes for one second and the next thing he knew there were ten projects due when he only had seven classes.

Second, they had another soccer game that Wednesday night. Their practices had been going well. Eren had gotten over himself and started passing to Thomas more. He was apprehensive at first because Thomas wasn't Connie, and if he felt like he couldn't trust him in a heated match, then he wouldn't use him.

Hanji nipped that in the bud immediately.

Turns out, Thomas wasn't so bad. If he could just calm his goddamn nerves, that would be _great_.

Then, this Friday was another big football game. Trost was slowly climbing closer to becoming regional champs; just a few more teams to beat, and they'd be solid.

And finally, Saturday. Was Halloween. Which meant shitty dress ups, and alcohol, and music, and Jean Kirstein's noteworthy house party.

Not to forget, Eren had Stats tutoring with Levi on Tuesdays and Thursdays. So, he really did have a full schedule.

It was a sunny Monday afternoon. Jean had just dropped Mikasa and Eren back home from school, and Eren immediately went to grab a bottle of water and go back to his room to start on his constantly growing pile of school work.

He also needed to start going through practice problems for national testing. Which was next weekend. They gang had discussed earlier that day at lunch that they would have a big study session at Marco's next week sometime.

Other than that, it was a pretty normal day. For Eren, at least.

888

"Are you done with the grocery list yet, mother?"

"Jean, save your sass."

Marco was sitting at the kitchen island in the Kirstein home (more like mansion) and writing down everything that needed to be bought for this weekend's Halloween bash.

Jean had managed to make grilled cheese that was decent enough to eat. His mother was a wonderful cook; as for himself, not so much.

Jean's mom would be home from work in an hour, so he hoped Marco would have the list ready by then. He didn't want his mother walking in and asking them what he was talking about, and he didn't want to take Marco up to his room because it really was a fucking mess and it's not like Marco cared because they were best friends but he always had that slightly judging expression on his face whenever Jean was being stupid and-

"Okay!" Marco shouted, bringing Jean out of his own thoughts. "The list is complete."

Jean set Marco's sandwich down in front of him on a plate, and he did the same.

"Read it out."

Marco cleared his throat. "Alright. For the living room, we need black and orange streamers, black and orange confetti, the kind that's easy to vacuum up. Neon blue LED lights, the fog machine…

There were so many things that Jean needed to get. Krista and Ymir already volunteered to help him shop for it and help decorate. Marco said he would try, but he had plans with his parents Saturday morning and might not be able to make it.

By the time Marco was done reading the list, Jean had finished his sandwich and partially fell asleep.

"If you start setting up at seven in the morning on Saturday, you could probably be done by the afternoon. Which gives you plenty of time to take a nap and wake up and get ready. Sasha said she'd take care of the food, I'll help with that. We're set. You do have the alcohol taken care of, right?"

"Of course." Jean smirked. "And the prizes for best costume."

Marco put the master list down and started eating his sandwich, which was already cold.

"Bleh. I gotta use the microwave."

While Marco was doing that, Jean was messing around on his phone.

"Hey, do you think you can help me go over the music list? I mean, I have all the speakers hooked up and ready to go, but the playlist has gotta be good."

Marco sat back down with his plate. "I don't know. Eren's always better with stuff like that."

Jean nodded. "You're right. I'll just ask him."

888

Annie was certain this was a horrible idea.

Damn having friends and people that you cared about, because that complicated everything.

As she parked in front of the Hoover household, she took a deep breath. She really wished she hadn't have promised Reiner she'd talk to Bertholdt; her generosity was fueled by alcohol and a good time and she made a promise she didn't want to keep.

But she'd be lying if she said she was only here because of Reiner. Bert was, through a series of complicated events and many years of nerves and apprehension, her friend. And she was concerned with his behavior. He wouldn't sit with them at lunch anymore, and he damn sure wasn't present in their sports medicine academy class; Annie was beginning to think he changed class periods so he wouldn't have to see them, because it's not like he could drop the program entirely.

Or he could, actually.

But that would mean he wouldn't graduate with a diploma, and any college, especially medical school, isn't going to accept that.

Annie's boots crunched on the walkway up to the house. The air was chilly this time of evening, the signs of another frozen winter approaching. Fall season was her favorite.

She rang the doorbell and waited for an answer. She knew it would be his mom. No one else ever answered.

The door creaked open, and Annie's beliefs were correct.

"Annie." Mrs. Hoover welcomed. "I haven't seen you. Come in, get out of the cold."

Annie forced a smile, as she often had to with parents, and walked in. She didn't bother taking off her jacket or scarf.

Once Mrs. Hoover closed the door, she started doing that _thing_.

"Would you like something to drink? Have you eaten dinner? We still have some left, even though Mr. Hoover hasn't made it home to eat yet."

"No thank you." Annie said. "Is Bert here?"

His parents never called him Bert. It was always Bertholdt. And plus she knew he was home. His truck was outside.

"Yes. He's upstairs in his room." She smiled warmly. That was Annie's cue to go.

Annie walked through the small hallway leading to the flight of stairs. She felt slightly bad for being so short with Mrs. Hoover. After all, she was a great help in time of her own parental difficulties.

Bertholdt had his father's height, but his mother's face. The same green eyes, same nose and straight mouth, and the same hair color. It was kind of funny.

As Annie walked up the stairs, they creaked a bit under her feet. No surprise. This was an older home, despite its refurbished interior.

Even though the hallway was dark upstairs, she still knew that Bert's room was the last door on the left, just past the bathroom.

The door was closed, but his lights were on. She leaned an ear closer to the door to see if she could hear anything, but she didn't, so she went in for the kill. Because never in the history of their friendship has Annie knocked on his door. That was then, though. This is now. She might not be so welcome.

Bertholdt's back was turned to her because he was sitting at his desk, ear buds in his ear, working on something. Probably homework.

His room was basic. Cream colored walls, white sheets on his bed, which was consequently a queen size because he's a damn giant. There was only one photo on the wall above his desk, and it was a group photo from a Christmas party Marco's parents hosted their freshman year. The sweater Reiner had on was fucking atrocious, but he was still beaming. Even Bert, with Reiner's arm around his back.

She walked across the neat room and tapped his shoulder. Not a good idea.

Betholdt whipped around and yanked his ear buds out of his ear. His eyes widened when he saw it wasn't one of his parents, and his face went a bit pale when he registered that it was Annie.

"Sorry." She apologized, because she was. She knew how anxious he could get, and sneaking up on him probably wasn't the best approach, but it was the only one she could think of.

Bert paused his music on his phone. "It's alright. Why didn't you tell me you were stopping by?"

'Because you wouldn't have replied or been home otherwise,' is what she wanted to say.

And she still said it.

"Because you wouldn't have replied or been home otherwise." She answered, moving to sit on the edge of his bed.

Bert turned around in his chair to face her. His face was already starting to get red. Annie knew this wouldn't be easy. The good intentions she had when she walked up those stairs were starting to disappear. Now, she was just pissed.

"First question," she began, edge in her voice. "Did you switch sports medicine classes? Because you're nowhere to be found these days."

Perhaps a softer approach would be better for someone like Bert, but everyone was always soft around him, being gentler because he was a walking ball of nerves. Annie wasn't going to do that tonight.

"I did." He answered, still not meeting her eyes.

"Did you quit football? No one's seen you at practice?"

Bert swallowed. "Yeah."

"Why?"

"I'd rather focus on academics."

"All of a sudden? You already got accepted to Ehrmich Univeristy. What else have you got to prove?"

Bert took a deep breath. "I want to graduate in the top ten percent of our class."

Annie didn't have a retort for that. She guessed that was a viable answer, and his avoidance to meet her gaze was giving her all the answers she needed to make her speech.

"Bert, this is ridiculous. I know you get scared sometimes, but this is pathetic."

His eyes widened again, but Annie kept going.

"Everyone has been worried about you, wondering where you are and what's wrong with you. But no one is more worried than your boyfriend, you know."

Maybe it wasn't appropriate to be harsh, or to still call Reiner his boyfriend, considering that he dropped the bomb already.

"Reiner has been miserable. And don't sit here and pretend like that doesn't matter to you and the only thing that matters is your academics and college because that shit didn't seem to become relevant until Reiner committed to Dawk."

Bertholdt was watching her now, face no longer red, but still looking a little guilty.

"Why are you ignoring him?" Annie continued. "If you're done with him, you need to let him know. Go ahead and finish breaking his heart so he can stop worrying about when you're going to."

"I can't talk to him, Annie."

"Why the hell not?"

"Because, I might change my mind about what I said."

"What?"

"I still want to be with him!" Bertholdt shouted. And by the gods Annie hoped Mrs. Hoover couldn't hear that downstairs. But she was getting a response out of him; that counted for something.

"Annie, I really just don't think you understand. I haven't…I avoided talking about college for so long because I knew it would be like this. Him in once place and me in another. We can't be together that way."

"Why not? I don't know if you've caught amnesia or something, but anyone who even has a slight gay-dar can tell from a mile away how obsessed he is with you. He loves you."

"He loves football too. And I love medicine. And all of us in a relationship isn't going to work."

Annie paused. It was quiet in the room for a bit, and she didn't want to say anything in retort to that.

"Is this a long distance thing? Do you not trust him to be faithful when you're in a different country?"

Bertholdt didn't answer, but Annie saw him swallow. She was on to something.

"Bert, are you afraid of him finding someone else?"

He didn't answer immediately. He turned back around in his desk chair and picked up his pen to resume whatever he was working on before.

"Why wouldn't he? I can't give him what he wants."

"And what would that be?"

"You know."

"I don't. You two already fucked, so what is there you haven't already given him?"

"Stability."

"Elaborate."

"Annie, just leave."

"Nice try. You can't get rid of me that easily. I'll leave when I have my answers."

"Did he send you here?"

"I goddamn volunteered. Because I think you've forgotten that we're supposed to be friends too."

That shut him up.

"Look, I'm not here to mend your relationship or anything, but you could at least call-

"My dad doesn't want me being gay."

Annie stopped. She wasn't sure if she heard correctly.

"Well, that's unfortunate. You're already gay."

"Annie, this isn't a joke." Bert said, annoyance in his voice.

"I wasn't laughing." Annie countered. "How do you know?"

"He said so at dinner one night. Just said he didn't want me being gay or living that kind of lifestyle. That was the day before I got my acceptance letter."

Mr. Hoover was a man devoted to his work in medicine, but not exactly family oriented. Berholdt was an only child; undoubtedly they wanted the best for him. But both his parents had pretty conservative views when it came to things, although one would think they could bend their own rules for the sake of their child.

"He knows about you and Reiner, right?"

"He caught us kissing once. That's why I don't invite him here. Reiner knows dad doesn't like him. It's not so much mom."

"Why the hell did no one tell me?"

"Not everything's your business."

Annie ignored his sass. "So what? Your dad doesn't want a gay son, too late. He already has one. You're making excuses."

Bertholdt's pen stopped moving.

"Gosh, you've always been like this." Annie started, standing up and putting her hands in her jacket pockets. "You're a pushover. If things don't go your way you just let them be. You don't fight for anything you want and you need to because you're going to lose it all if you don't cut this shit out."

Bert still wasn't looking at her. Annie didn't mean to openly shame him, but it was just the two of them here, and she needed to say this.

"I always knew about you two. Before you even knew, I knew. I could tell you felt differently about him. Just like he felt about you. After all this time, the two of you finally have each other, and you're going to let it fail because _you're_ afraid?"

"Bottom line of it is you need to stop ignoring Reiner. Tell him how you really feel. If this situation was reversed and he was ignoring the hell out of you, imagine how you would feel. He's not himself. And you also need to think about his dad-

"Leave."

Annie sighed. "Fine."

She turned around to leave. She wasn't going to over stay her welcome, and that's a bit much, considering she was never invited to begin with.

She didn't have anything else to say as she left; no turn around-over the shoulder line to make the kill. She closed his door softly behind her and walked back down the squeaky stairs.

Mrs. Hoover was in the kitchen, and popped her head around the corner when she heard Annie walking down the hall.

"You sure you don't want anything to eat or drink?"

Annie forcibly smiled. "I'm sure. Thanks, Mrs. Hoover. Have a good night."

She didn't wait for anyone to see her out. She walked back down the walkway, boots crunching on the ground again. In just that short amount of time, the wind had picked up, and the air was chillier than before.

888

"All I'm saying is that I will kill a man to get to SpringFest this year."

Levi smirked and rolled his eyes. "Yeah, the line up does look nothing short of amazing."

"Phenomenal." Eren said, eyes still trained on the paper he was writing on. "The Killers, Arcade Fire, Black Keys, Metric, Penny and Sparrow, Oceean. I even heard rumors that The XX was going to be performing one night there. If that's the case, I'll kill two men."

Eren missed it, but Levi was still smirking, watching him work. There was no more awkwardness between them as Eren feared it would be. Levi was still pretty cool.

"Well, I'm thinking about going."

Eren stopped.

Breathing.

Holy…

"What?" He whispered, looking up from his work. "You're going?"

"I said I'm thinking about it. I'd have to plan ahead, take off work, worry about who's going to watch the house…"

"My mom." Eren blurted. "I mean, my mom could watch the house. I know she wouldn't mind at all she loves Isabel so much. That would be, like, amazing. Everybody at SpringFest."

"Maybe to you." Levi sighed. "I'm not so sure I want to be surrounded by a bunch of high schoolers."

"Hey, college kids will be there too. And there will be actual functioning adults as well, so you have people to bond with."

Eren got back to work as Levi didn't have a retort for that last comment. It was Tuesday, and he was feeling productive. He was spacing his work out by the day, and even though the week just started, he felt like if he could keep this up then he could actually become a decent high school student.

Since Levi pretty much listened to the same groups Eren did, they always bonded over possible new albums, which old albums were the best, and so on and so forth. It made for good conversation besides numbers.

"If you do go, are you three going to get a hotel?" Eren asked.

"We'd have to."

"Not necessarily. People buy tents and stay out on the beach."

"Yeah, like hell I'm doing that."

Eren laughed. "Why not? It's just three of you, the great outdoors, lots of sun and then all the stars at night-

"I'm going to stop you right there." Levi interrupted. "For one, have you seen my skin tone? Everything shows up on me. Every ray of sun and every bug bite makes a nice red letter on my skin. Two, I don't want to be stuck on a beach for a weekend with loud, hormonal ass teens in their own tents; I won't be able to sleep. And three, it's hard enough sharing a home with Farlan and Isabel. If I had to be cooped up in a tent with them, I'd lose my shit. I don't know, Eren, I would much rather get a hotel, even if I had to…

Eren looked up and smirked. "Kill a man?"

Levi smirked back. "Yeah, that."


End file.
